Grinning Tun (5”+) African Some are smooth

Some are smooth

In some areas

the ivory bush coral builds structure that provides habitat for hundreds of other species of invertebrates and fishes

as their common name suggests

This species is found off the southern African coast from northern KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique

Grinning Tun (5”+) African Some are smoothThe Grinning Tun, Malea ringens (Swainson, 1822), is a member of the Tonnidae Family of Tun Shells, that is known in Mexico as caracol barril and caracol bola. They are named for their aperture which looks like a large, toothy, smile. The shells are large, swollen and consist of five whorls, the spire is low, the aperture is large, heavily toothed, with a deep groove in the middle of the inner lip, and the exterior is sculpted with wide ridges that