An iPhone video filmed on Manihi Island, French Polynesia. Hermit crabs varying in sizes are commonly found on the shores of French Polynesian islands. Marc teaches us how Tahitians use hermit crabs as bait for fishing.
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This is the cone shell (aka, cone snail, conus purpurascens) - one of the things you need to be wary of when visiting French Polynesia.
A very modest-looking specimen, this sea shell should not be collected as your souvenir of Tahiti. It can be found in shallow ocean waters and coral reefs of the pacific ocean.
Shooting its venom through a harpoon-like dart, the venom of the cone shell contains the most powerful neurotoxin in the world. Did you know that it was this very venom that was used as the ingredient to shoot down the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. (Okay it's a fictional book/film, but so what! It was imagined as THE ingredient to use against the mighty dinosaurs). There is a local legend in Tahiti that once a tourist picked up a cone shell out of interest, ignorant to what it was. He stored it in the pocket of his shorts, and a short while later the snail shot its venom and the tourist died. Gee, thanks for making me feel so secure about Tahitian waters. Though apparently the snail is quite slow to come out of its shell, so as long as you stay away from them and don't touch them, you'll be right. See the sea snail in action!
Did.... Did you just see that? :| Fascinating, but slightly disturbing.
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AuthorJo Tsai Archives
November 2015
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