Chestnut Cowrie

General information

The Chestnut Cowrie with its egg-shaped shell colored orange, tan, brown and white. The opening in the shell has teeth, which provides protection from predators. The mantle extends through this opening and completely covers the shell unless the snail feels threatened. The Chestnut Cowrie is native to the deeper and colder ocean waters off the coast of California, from Monterey Bay south to central Baja California. This species of Cowrie is a temperate snail that prefers cooler water temperatures, especially by typical saltwater standards. Provide the Chestnut Cowrie with ample hiding places and sufficient room. It is a nocturnal animal by nature; during the day it is found under rocks or resting on soft corals, and at night it forages for food. An aquarium with live rock provides a good environment where it can graze on algae and diatoms growing there. It is very sensitive to high levels of copper-based medications and is rather intolerant of higher nitrate levels.