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The lovely shell of a Venus Comb Murex
One of the most delicate and exquisite shells of the world belongs to the Venus Comb Murex (Murex pectin) a predatory snail which hunts in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. The snail is covered by over one hundred tapered spines which protect it from predators and support the creature (in the fashion of a snowshoe) when it traverses soft muds. The Venus Comb Murex hunts small mollusks, tunicates, worms, and crustaceans. When one handles the delicate 15 cm long shell it is strange to imagine that it belonged to a fearsome hunter. The Venus Comb Murex is a member of the Murexes, medium to large gastropods within the family Muricidae. Murexes were described by Aristotle–who used the exact same name for them.
A Murex Hunting in Shallow Warm Waters
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