Zigzag Cowry

Description:

Also referred to as Cypraea ziczac. This small cowry has three latitudinal white bands containing repetitive chevron patterns (appearing like a zigzag) on its outer shell. Its mantle is bright orange and the papillae are white.

Habitat:

This species is distributed in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and in the western Pacific Ocean. Found in intertidal waters up to depths of 5 to 20m, in sandy lagoons and on coral reef, usually hiding under coral and rocks.

Notes:

Spotted this bright-orange critter crawling at a pretty quick clip at a sand-and-mud site, off the northeastern coast of Samal Island, Davao Gulf. It was in about 15m of water. The cowrie measured less than 2cm.