Tiger Cowrie sea shell, Madagascar, 7.5 cm, 72 g; Cypraea tigris, commonly known as the tiger cowrie, is a species ...

Tiger Cowrie sea shell, Madagascar, 7.5 cm, 72 g; Cypraea tigris, commonly known as the tiger cowrie, is a species of cowry, a large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The tiger cowry was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and the species still bears its original name of Cypraea tigris.[1] Its specific epithet tigris relates to its common name "tiger" (the shell however is spotted, not striped). This species is the type species of the genus Cypraea. 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.[9] Found between depths of 10 and 40 meters (35–130 ft), it is often associated with live coral colonies, such as the table-forming Acropora,[10] either found on the reefs themselves or the sandy sea bottom nearby.[9] 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.[9] Carnivorous, the adult tiger cowrie eats coral and various invertebrates, while juveniles eat algae. This species is endangered in Singapore.[10] Length: 3 inches = 7.5 cm; Weight: 72 g; Country: Madagascar; Common Family: Cowries; Common Name: Tiger Cowrie