There are about 500 different kinds of cone snails around the world. All have a sharp modified tooth that stabs prey with venom like a harpoon.
Most cone snails hunt worms and other snails, but a few eat fish.
These are the ones most dangerous for people. The very powerful nerve toxin that stops a fish can also kill a person. On the other hand, venom from the magician cone snail, Conus magus , shows promise as a non-addictive pain control 1000 times as powerful as morphine. Scarlet king snake Taipan Western diamondback rattlesnake .