Textile Cone Snail
Conus textile
Textile cone snails are a venomous tropical snail. They capture their prey by means of harpoon-like hollow tooth (radula) that injects venom and then are swallowed whole.
Originally published: July 11, 2007
Last updated: February 06, 2026
Credit: Courtesy of NSF
SPECIES IN DETAIL
Textile Cone Snail
Conus textile
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least concern
CLIMATE CHANGE: Not Applicable
Geographic Distribution
Throughout the Indo-Pacific region, Australia, and the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa to Hawaii and French Polynesia.
Habitat
The textile cone lives in the sand beneath coral and rocks in shallow waters.
Physical Characteristics
This snail has a rounded cone shaped shell. The white shell is covered in brown or yellow overlapping patterns that resemble woven cloth.
Size
The average length of these animals is 9.0 cm (3.5 in).
Diet
These snails use a modified tooth (radula) to inject their prey with venom and are then swallow them whole. These snails eat other types of sea snails, worms and small fish.
Reproduction
These snails lay internally fertilized eggs onto hard surfaces. These hatch into swimming larvae and then settle and grow into adult snails.
Special Notes
Medicine derived from the venom of cone snails are being studied as an alternative for pain treatment.
SPECIES IN DETAIL | Print full entry
Textile Cone Snail
Conus textile
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least concern
CLIMATE CHANGE: Not Applicable
Throughout the Indo-Pacific region, Australia, and the Indian Ocean from eastern Africa to Hawaii and French Polynesia.
The textile cone lives in the sand beneath coral and rocks in shallow waters.
This snail has a rounded cone shaped shell. The white shell is covered in brown or yellow overlapping patterns that resemble woven cloth.
The average length of these animals is 9.0 cm (3.5 in).
These snails use a modified tooth (radula) to inject their prey with venom and are then swallow them whole. These snails eat other types of sea snails, worms and small fish.
These snails lay internally fertilized eggs onto hard surfaces. These hatch into swimming larvae and then settle and grow into adult snails.
Medicine derived from the venom of cone snails are being studied as an alternative for pain treatment.