Cypraea tigris Linnaeus,
1758
Tiger cowry, 100mm
We saw these on both day and night
dives at several sites in the Anilao area. In size and color they closely resembled
shells we know from the Marshalls. I recall seeing large burlap bags of Philippine
tiger cowries shipped into a Honolulu dive/aquarium shop in the early 1970s.
All those shells were much smaller, which led me to believe Philippine tigers
were all small. Most likely, like in parts of the Marshalls, the small ones
live intertidally, where they are more easily collected for the commercial trade.
Those we saw at diving depths around Anilao were all larger.
Created
24 August 2015
Updated 15 February 2020
Return
to Anilao cowries
Kwajalein Underwater home