Tiger cowrie

Appearance

Roughly egg-shaped and dextral, the glossy shell is large and heavy for a cowry. It measures up to 15 cm in length, and the upper or dorsal side is white, pale bluish-white, or buff, densely covered with dark brown or blackish barely circular spots. Akin to many other ''Cypraea'' snails, the shells surface is notably effulgent, as if it were deliberately polished. There is sometimes a blurred red line along the length of the shell at the midline on the dorsal surface. The lower margins are rounded . The ventral side is white or whitish, and the shell opening is lined with tooth-like serrations.

As is the case in almost all cypraeids, two lateral extensions of the mantle are able to extend so as to cover the shell completely, meeting at the midline of the dorsal surface. The mantle can also withdraw into the shell opening when threatened. In this species, the exterior surface of the mantle has numerous pin-like projections that are white-tipped.

Naming

* ''Cypraea tigris'' form ''incana'' Sulliotti, G.R., 1924
⤷  ''Cypraea tigris'' form ''lyncicrosa'' Steadman, W.R. & B.C. Cotton, 1943
⤷  ''Cypraea tigris'' form ''pardalis'' Shaw, 1795
⤷  ''Cypraea tigris'' var. ''schilderiana '' Cate, C.N., 1961 The variety ''Cypraea tigris'' var. ''schilderiana'' was recognized by Cate in 1961. It differs from ''Cypraea tigris'' in its large size and the lack of a thick marginal callus. This variety is found in the Hawaiian Islands, Johnston Island, and Vietnam.
⤷  ''Cypraea tigris'' form ''tuberculifera'' Sulliotti, G.R., 1924

Distribution

The tiger cowrie is found on the ocean floor in the Indo-Pacific region, from the eastern coast of Africa to the waters of Micronesia and Polynesia, the Coral Sea and around the Philippines. Along the Australian Coast it is found from Northern New South Wales to northern Western Australia, as well as Lord Howe Island, and along the east coast of Africa including Madagascar. Found between depths of 10 and 40 metres , it is often associated with live coral colonies, such as the table-forming ''Acropora'', either found on the reefs themselves or the sandy sea bottom nearby. Once common, it is now much less abundant due to shell collecting and the destruction of its habitat by such processes as dynamite fishing, especially in shallower areas. Carnivorous, the adult tiger cowrie eats coral and various invertebrates, while juveniles eat algae.

This species is endangered in Singapore.

Habitat

The tiger cowrie is found on the ocean floor in the Indo-Pacific region, from the eastern coast of Africa to the waters of Micronesia and Polynesia, the Coral Sea and around the Philippines. Along the Australian Coast it is found from Northern New South Wales to northern Western Australia, as well as Lord Howe Island, and along the east coast of Africa including Madagascar. Found between depths of 10 and 40 metres , it is often associated with live coral colonies, such as the table-forming ''Acropora'', either found on the reefs themselves or the sandy sea bottom nearby. Once common, it is now much less abundant due to shell collecting and the destruction of its habitat by such processes as dynamite fishing, especially in shallower areas. Carnivorous, the adult tiger cowrie eats coral and various invertebrates, while juveniles eat algae.

This species is endangered in Singapore.