Species profile
California Cone
Californiconus californicus
At a glance
California Cone (Californiconus californicus) is an IUCN Least Concern marine snail present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 2,515 research-grade iNaturalist observations, concentrated in California.
Notable details
- Californiconus californicus is the only cone snail species native to California.
- Like all cone snails, it fires a venomous harpoon-like tooth that can pierce human skin.
- Its shell reaches about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, small compared to tropical cone relatives.
- Found from Monterey Bay south to Baja California, primarily in rocky intertidal zones.
- It feeds mainly on polychaete worms, locating them by chemosensory detection.
Where California Cone are seen
Background
Californiconus californicus, common name the Californian cone, is a species of small, predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Conidae, the cone snails.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's California Cone article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other marine snails (whelk/conch) on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.