One Snake Head Cowrie shell measuring 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches. *****

One Snake Head Cowrie shell, measuring 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches.

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Monetaria caputserpentis, common name Snake head Cowry

Monetaria caputserpentis is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

These cowries are found in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, tropical Indo-West Pacific, Australia and the Philippines. These sea snails live on corals, rock reefs and rocky shores from the intertidal zone down to depths of 657 feet. Some have been found feeding on algae or seaweed using its file-like radula. The Snakehead is rarely found in water deeper than 10 feet

The basic color of the Snakehead Cowry is reddish-brown, with many whitish dots on the top of the dorsum, which sometimes shows a clear longitudinal line. The underside is light beige. Cowries, like most other snails, have: a well-developed head with eyes and tentacles and a mouth; a broad muscular foot for crawling; and a soft body mass (containing the internal organs) which is protected by their shell.

Snakehead Cowries are often sold with a purple top, which is achieved by dipping the dorsum in acid.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Littorinimorpha

Family: Cypraeidae

Genus: Monetaria

Species: Monetaria caputserpentis

Binomial name: Monetaria caputserpentis

(Linnaeus, 1758)

(REF: WoRMS : Monetaria caputserpentis )(REF: Cantera J. R. (1991). "First record of the Indo-Pacific gastropod Cypraea caputserpentis (Linnaeus, 1758) at Isla Gorgona, Colombia")(REF:Meyer C. 2003. Molecular systematics of cowries (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) and diversification patterns in the tropics. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society )