Charonia tritonis

Present in the Indo-Pacific tropical waters, the Triton’s trumpet (Charonia tritonis) has a pinkish-cream body with reddish spots, yellow tentacles with black bands and an enormous foot. This gastropod frequents the shallow sandy bottoms and the madreporic formations mainly looking for echinoderms. Its choice prey is the infamous Acanthaster planci, terrible destroyer of corals, and is therefore a species useful for the survival of the reef. The fierce meal may last even several days; it wraps the preys with the foot, perforates them with the radula and then aspires calmly their contents. Its elegant shell, that may reach the 50 cm, is used in the tropics as musical instrument © G. Mazza