Flamingo tongue cowrie

Photo: Garrett · CC BY-NC

The flamingo tongue cowrie's vivid orange-and-black spotted mantle is not a shell pattern but living tissue — when disturbed, the animal retracts this mantle to reveal a plain cream shell beneath. It feeds exclusively on soft corals including sea fans and sea whips, and its spotted mantle appears to mimic the coloration of toxic nudibranchs as a predator deterrent. Overcollection for the souvenir trade has reduced populations on heavily dived Caribbean reefs, making sites like Aquarium where collection is prohibited especially valuable for their abundance.