The beautiful seashell that can kill you in minutes
This gorgeous seashell fires a venomous harpoon that can kill a human in minutes.
The short version
The cone snail looks like a pretty seashell but is one of the deadliest animals in the ocean. It fires a hollow, harpoon-like tooth loaded with paralyzing venom to spear fish — and one sting from some species can kill a person. There's no antivenom; divers call it the 'cigarette snail'. Its venom is being turned into painkillers stronger than morphine.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Cone Snail fires a hollow harpoon-shaped tooth loaded with paralyzing venom to spear passing fish.
- ✓The Cone Snail carries venom so deadly that a single sting can stop a human heart in minutes.
- ✓The Cone Snail has no antivenom, which earned it the grim nickname the 'cigarette snail'.
- ✓The Cone Snail hides one of the deadliest venoms in the ocean inside a beautiful seashell.
- ✓The Cone Snail supplies a venom so precise that scientists turn it into painkillers stronger than morphine.
The full story
This gorgeous seashell can kill a grown human in minutes — and there is no antivenom. Meet the cone snail, one of the deadliest animals hiding in the ocean. It looks harmless, but it hunts by firing a hollow tooth shaped like a tiny harpoon, loaded with paralyzing venom, fast enough to spear a passing fish. Some species are so toxic that a single sting can stop a person's heart. Divers nicknamed it the cigarette snail, joking that a sting leaves you just enough time to smoke one before it is over. Strangely, that same venom is so precise that scientists are turning it into powerful painkillers stronger than morphine. There are over 700 species of these silent assassins hiding in shells. Beautiful, slow, and absolutely lethal. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Watch the 45-second version
Cone Snail gallery
