The Birds and The Bees

Both images provided by © 2011 Guido & Philippe Poppe - www.poppe-images.com.

There is a lack of research on the reproduction and life cycle of Conus magus, therefore, the information that is known about these organisms has yet to be fully confirmed. At this point it is understood that the species possess a dioecious lifestyle, meaning that each individual produces solely sperm or solely eggs. In other words, they are males and females opposed to the hermaphroditic lifestyle that other snails partake in. Although they typically live solitarily, a male and female snail will come together once a year and mate through internal fertilization. Soon after, the female snail will lay several capsules each with a varying number of eggs. Eggs are laid in great numbers because the majority will not survive past the first few days of life. The capsules attach to the substrate in a cluster where they will remain for anywhere between one and fifty days. The eggs hatch and from there the hatchlings will grow into mature adults. The eggs that do make it to the mature adult stage will live for anywhere between ten and fifteen years. 

When it comes to reproduction only the snails that are thriving in the environment get to partake. This way the certain qualities that are helpful to the species become stronger and eventually the species as a whole will have made the adaptation. Learn more about the adaptations made by Conus magus in Successful Snails. 

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