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Marine Life Encyclopedia

Cephalopods, Crustaceans, & Other Shellfish

Giant Triton

Charonia tritonis

Distribution

Tropical latitudes of the Indo-Pacific Ocean, from east Africa to Hawaii

ECOSYSTEM/HABITAT

Coral reefs and associated sand flats

FEEDING HABITS

Active predator

TAXONOMY

Class Gastropoda (snails and slugs), Family Ranellidae (tritons)

The giant triton is an active predator and is known to aggressively chase its prey, which it detects with its excellent sense of smell. Though the chase may seem slow to human observers, the giant triton is known for relatively high speeds, especially for a snail. It prefers to eat other snails and sea stars, most notably the crown-of-thorns starfish. Large outbreaks of the crown-of-thorn starfish, which feed on reef-building corals, are known to threaten the health of coral reefs. The giant triton is one of the only natural predators of that starfish. For that reason, this species is considered by the Australian government to be extremely important to reef health and is given legal protection in that country and others. Once the giant triton chases down a snail or starfish, its venomous saliva paralyzes the prey.

The giant triton reproduces through internal fertilization, and the female lays her sticky eggs on the sand, where they quickly become covered with sand and other material, offering them camouflage and protection from egg predators.

Though the giant triton is thought to be a key species in limiting potential outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish, it is collected at many places around the world because its shell is valuable as a trade good. They are often sold in shops or markets in popular tourism destinations in the tropics.

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