Hi Tom,
Herds are brousers, any species that is a herbivor
traveling in large groups feeding on algae or detritius.
Conus herd? I say no! They are not browsers. I have seen
what I call packs as in Wolf, of Murex attaking bivalve
habitates. Cones, never!
I have also observed Browsers of what I call herds, of
Natica;gourging on anything
they like to eat; Natica in the hundreds, going at all
species within the intertidal area. In Madagascar I
collected some Murex ternispina. They wre feedind on a dead
crap. On top of the low tide line sand sweel I saw a spine.
I duf in and found twenty six specimens. Only kept the six
I have. As for groups per see' Cyp. are the wourst famaly
to just get together in a herd (how about a
mass)---------and try to eat all algae in the area. In
Tulear Madageascar I have counted 286 Cyp. monita and 416
Cyp. annulus in a square metre. Ask for more info on
species I have observered if you want iy.
Phred
> From: Tom Eichhorst <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: HSN & Depth Ranges
> Date: Monday, February 01, 1999 10:10 AM
>
> > Don,
>
> I haven't a clue as to depth but I was intrigued by the
"herd of Conus
> quercinus."  Did you really mean a herd?  I know you will
find Strombus
> thersites traveling in a herd or colony but this is the
first I have
> heard of a Conus herd.  That would be like a herd of
prehistoric
> veloceraptors of the shell world!  Does anyone on Conch-L
have
> information on other species that may travel in groups?
>
> Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA (where if you dive down
60 feet in the
> closest large body of water you will be in 57 feet of mud
and sand --
> and some of you would even call the first 3 feet mud)