Meet the stunning Flamingo Tongue marine snail. These little guys can be found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Don't be fooled by those colors, the shell of the Flamingo Tongue is plain compared to the lovely soft tissue that is (almost) always covering the outside of the shell. They aren't just pretty faces, Flamingo Tongues use the toxins from their prey (soft coral) as a chemical defense against other critters like puffer fish and some lobsters. If you see this animal DO NOT try to collect them for your shell collection, this is a common mistake that often leaves collectors disappointed. [oceana.org] #learnsomethingnewdaily #snail #mollusk #stunning #flamingotounge #poisonous #seaspraymermaid #marinesnail #donotcollect #oceana

I had no idea there were snails that were neon orange! This #horseconch at the #floridaaquarium lives up to the Wikipedia descriptor of being an "extremely large predatory snail" - the species is one of the largest univalves in the world, and this one was approximately the size of my head! Horse conch will eat basically any other marine #gastropod they can catch, as well as smaller members of their own species. #conch #notatrueconch #marinesnail #floridastateshell #predatorsarepriceless #oceanlife #theoceanisterrifying (at The Florida Aquarium)

Baby #nassarius snail, atop a large #zoa frag. . #nassariussnail #cuc #cleanupcrew #marinesnail #fragrack