Scientific Name: Cyphoma gibbosum Aka: Flamingo Tongue Snail
My Personal Name: Leopard Boi
Location: Shallow Caribbean and Southern Atlantic coral reefs ranging from North Carolina to Brazil
Size: ~1 inch long
Diet: Gorgonian Corals (however C. gibbosum almost never actually kills its host)
Hidden Protection? C. gibbosum is similar to nudibranches, however, it actually has a shell. You just can’t really sea it (Ha! Puns) because their mantle flesh is covering it. But, the skin is very much like a condom, in that it can be retracted to reveal the shell!
Subclass: Prosobranchia, which means “gills in front of the heart”
Sad Fact: This snail looks rad af, and unfortunately it is heavily collected, and therefore “must be protected”
Sexxx: In order to find a mate, C. gibbosum follows the slimy trail of a potential partner
Life cycle: C. gibbosum is born about a week after the egg is laid on the gorgonian on which its parents fed, and spend an indeterminate amount of time feeding on plankton. Kinda like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, C. gibbosum starts out as a larva then metamorphoses into a mini version of its final form, then finishes by growing normally to adult size. The snail is a hella good hitchhiker and will usually hitch a ride for life with a gorgonian colony.
Predators: Hogfish, pufferfish, and the Caribbean Spiny lobster
Why so few predators? C. gibbosum acquires the chemicals from its food, so most animals know this snail is inedible
Shell color: Many divers try to harvest C. gibbosum’s shell because of it’s unique design, however are left disappointed because the spots are part of the snail’s body itself, not the shell. When harvested, the shell is actually a plain apricot color 🐚
