Where Do Cone Snails Live?

A cone snail has a cone-shaped shell, a fleshy foot, a head, and tentacles. Cone snails live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean and Red Seas, and along the coast of Florida. They are not aggressive. The sting usually occurs when divers in deep reef waters handle the snails.

Are cone snails in the United States?

Poisonous cone snails of North America are predatory carnivores living in tidal waters from California to Florida. They're found under rocks in coral reefs and in mangroves. All cone snails are poisonous, and some can be deadly, but North American cone snails are not fatal to humans.

Can a cone snail kill a human?

While humans are not the intended prey for these mollusks, naive divers may inadvertently pick up the cone snails. Cone snail venom is so potent that it can immediately paralyze and eventually kill prey. Hypothetically, the venom from one cone snail has could kill up to 700 people.