Hi all,

I collected a Bursa granularis today as food for a Conus aureus. Just an
hour ago, as I was taking a look inside the tank, I noted the Bursa
doing everything it could do to get as far away from the cone as
possible. No surprise there...what did shock me was a particular
behavior I've never witnessed. In a couple brief instances, the Bursa
flared out and then retracted it's proboscis in very violent and quick
jerking motions. I'm guessing this is a response to being nearby
predator? If so, is it some sort of evasive maneuver? I'm very curious
about this. Has anyone seen anything like this before?

I've since placed the Bursa on the other side of the tank (small 2.5
gallon "betta" tank with glass divider) and away from the cone. I'd like
to observe it more closely and learn a little more. (In the mean time,
my hungry cone can enjoy a tasty Cymatium muricinum.)

A dive buddy just provided me a live Conus tulipa and last night I found
a nice live Conus geographus. Both have been placed in my 65 gallon
aquarium. I'll be using gobies or blennies as feeder fish. And, of
course, will be getting as many photos as I possibly can. This tank was
going to be a fish only tank but I keep finding too many interesting
mollusks. So it's presently dedicated to them along with a couple small
aquariums.

Many of the specimens that I keep are photographed and then released
back into the wild. If they are not returned to the original location,
which is preferred, then they are let go at another location where they
are known to occur and in the correct habitat. The two Chicoreus
laqueatus I had been keeping, neither of which were gems, were just
released last night. (Go to 'recent images' on my website to see a
couple close-ups of the 'photogenic' one). The Conus aureus I had been
keeping since last September (not at all a gem) was released just last
week after being replaced by a smaller gem. The two were together for a
couple of days but showed only mild interest towards each other. And the
Conus tulipa that I'm presently keeping will also go back as soon as I
get a few decent shots. Its small and my dive buddy asked for it to be
returned.

Would love to hear about your observations on mollusk behavior, whether
out in the field or in the aquarium.

Cheers,

Bob Abela
Tamuning, Guam
http://www.guamcell.net/~babela/bobsguamshells/