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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Cypraeidea |
| Miliaris
cowrie Cypraea miliaris Family Cypraeidae updated Aug 10 Where seen? This pretty cowrie with a spotted shell is commonly seen on our Northern shores, under and on rocks or on sandy and silty areas among seagrass. Features: 2.5-3cm. Shell is pear-shaped, beige to light brown with white spots all over it and a broad white margin around the base. It has a very 'hairy' looking mantle. The underside is completely white and the 'teeth' are not coloured. They are often found as a pair of male and female. If you find one, the other is usually not far away! Sometimes mistaken for a sea slug. When the shell is completely covered in its mantle, it is sometimes mistaken for a hairy sea slug. Here's how to tell apart hairy slugs and snails more on how to tell apart slugs and animals that look like slugs. Status and threats: Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, cowries are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless visitors and over-collection can also have an impact on local populations. |
 Tanah Merah, Aug 09  Upperside. |
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 Underside. |
 Side view. |
Miliaris cowries on Singapore shores
 Changi, Apr 05 |
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 East Coast, Jun 06 |
 Often seen in pairs. Changi, Jul 02 |
 With eggs. Chek Jawa, Feb 05 |
References
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Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.
. IKAN-Unterwasserachiv. 723pp.|
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