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Reproduction System

The life cycle begins when the mother lays her eggs onto the coral.  The eggs will hatch in about one week after being laid. At this point the eggs gradually change into what is known as the juvenile snail or the plankton stage.  During this time they are only active at night. The next stage in their life is a metamorphosis, going from feeding mainly on plankton to now feeding on Gorgonian corals (sea whips and sea fans). From this point on, they will develop into full grown adults quickly. Once that process happens, the cycle repeats itself. The female flamingo tongue snail can reproduce every 30 days (every lunar cycle). Every time the female flamingo tongue snail reproduce, they can lay up to 300 eggs in the cycle of a 30 day period & over a period of 12 months can reproduce up to about 3,600 eggs. The life span for this snail is up to two years they could have a potential of making up to 7,200 offspring! 

Article by: Brittany Ann Culotta




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Flamingo Snail (Cyphoma Gibbosum)


When it is alive, the snail appears bright orange-yellow in color with black markings. However, these colors are not in the shell, but are only due to live mantle tissue which usually cover the shell. The mantle flaps can be retracted, exposing the shell, but this usually happens only when the animal is attacked.  The Flamingo Snail tongue feed by browsing on the tissues of various soft corals and sea fans.  The shell of the snail is very plain white with a yellow tint on the sides.