Conus caracteristicus

Conus caracteristicus, common name the characteristic cone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.

Like all species within the genus Conus, these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all.

Description
The size of the shell varies between 19 mm and 88 mm. The color of the shell is white, irregularly longitudinally flamed, forming two (or sometimes three) interrupted broad bands. The body whorl is somewhat inflated, rounded at the upper part, striate below. The spire is striate.

Distribution
This marine species occurs in the Indian Ocean off Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and East Africa; from the Bay of Bengal to Indonesia and Japan