Allied cowrie (Calpurnus verrucosus) on a leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.). This gastropod mollusc is usually found with its brightly-coloured mantle (

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Allied cowrie (Calpurnus verrucosus) on a leather coral (Sarcophyton sp.). This gastropod mollusc is usually found with its brightly-coloured mantle (the skin that forms its dorsal surface) covering its shell, as here. When it is disturbed, the mantle is withdrawn into the shell. Cowries feed on small animals such as soft corals, mainly at night. Photographed off Mantanani, Malaysia.

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Size: 3055px × 4597px
Photo credit: © MATTHEW OLDFIELD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: allied, animal, calpurnus, coral, cowrie, gastropod, indo-pacific, invertebrates, leather, malaysia, malaysian, mantanani, mantle, marine, mollusc, mollusca, nature, ocean, sarcophyton, sea, soft, sp., tropical, underwater, verrucosus, wildlife, zoology