Overview
Brief Summary
Historical importance
Ecology
Local Distribution and Habitats
Biogeographical Distribution
Life History
Behaviour
Cyclicity
Evolution & Systematics
Systematics or Phylogenetics
Morphology and Physiology
External Morphology
Anatomy
Conservation
Threats
Wikipedia
References & More Information
Bibliographies | Local Distribution and Habitats
Most cowries predominantly inhabit shallow reef habitats in tropical and subtropical areas, and are rarely found at depths greater than 100 metres (Walls 1987). The larger specimens of C. tigris have been found at depths of 6 to 18 metres in the reefs of Hawaii (Burgess 1986). In Australia they can be found along the coast from Northern New South Wales to Northern Western Australia, as well as on Heron and Lord Howe Island (Poutiers 1998). They spend most of their time during the day hidden beneath boulders or in crevices, and spend their evenings foraging for food (Walls 1987). Habitats are generally determined at larval settlement and a study by Frank (1969) on Heron Island, Greater Barrier Reef of Australia, found that the 550 individuals of the species Cypraea annulus did not move further than 5 metres within a year, suggesting they only move relatively short distances in their lifetime.
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