Summary

The Yellow-toothed Cowrie (Cypraea xanthodon) is a gastropod found in the waters along the east coast of Australia. These cowries are medium sized, growing to 38 mm. As with all cowries, these have a beautiful, polished shell, which led to their use as decorations and as currency in many parts of the world. These cowries are found on the reef crest, generally under rocks or coral rubble during the day. During the night, they move out of these hiding places to find food. Cowries have separate sexes and the mother broods the egg mass until just before the larvae hatch. C. xanthodon is believed to be a naturally rare species and so may be more at risk of shell collection than others. It is not known whether these cowries are at risk and any possible effects of climate change have yet to be researched.