ABSTRACT
Cone snails, cone shells, or “cones”, are common names for a taxonomic family of sea snails known scientifically as the Conidae, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Conoidea. Cone snail contains a deadly poison. The cone snail uses this poison, a toxin, filled tooth to harpoon its prey, injecting chemicals that can paralyze, stun or kill an unfortunate fish. The venom from marine cone snails, used to immobilize prey, contains numerous peptides called conotoxins, some of which can act as painkillers in mammals. The venom of some cone snails, such as the Magician cone, Conus magus, has been found to be an excellent non-addictive pain reliever 1000 times as powerful as compared to morphine. Cone snail venom is known to contain toxins proven to be valuable drug. Cone snail venoms are a complex cocktail of many chemicals and most of these toxins have been overlooked in the past.
