added study senior author Prof Baldomero Olivera of the University of Utah. Cone snails are a large genus of small to large predatory gastropod mollusks. They are abundant in most tropical marine waters, especially around coral reefs. Each species makes a distinct repertoire of venom compounds, mixtures that have evolved to target particular prey.
The Geography cone snail (Conus geographus) – a species of cone snail that has killed dozens of people in accidental encounters – traps fish by releasing a blend of immobilizing venoms into the water, according to the prevailing hypothesis. The species protrudes a stretchy mouth-like part and aims it like a gun barrel at fish,
which become disoriented and stop moving even as the snail’s mouth part slowly advances and engulfs the fish. Seeking to understand how the cone snail springs its slow-motion trap, Dr Safavi-Hemami, Prof Olivera and their colleagues searched the gene sequences of all of the proteins expressed in the venom gland of theGeography cone snail.