Ferguson’s Cone Shell, Conus fergusoni

Ferguson’s Cone Shell, Conus fergusoni. Shell collected off the beach in the greater Cabo San Lucas area, Baja California Sur, November 2011. Size: 2.2 cm (0.9 inches) x 1.5 cm (0.6 inches).

Ferguson’s Cone, Conus fergusoni (G.B. Sowerby II, 1873),  is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Conidae Family of Cones. They are  also known as the Giant Cone and Ferguson’s Giant Cone and in Mexico as cono gigantea. The shell has a low, but pointy, spire. Younger specimens are yellowish to orange in color, with white banding; as they mature they lose their color and become mostly all-white; the aperture is generally white, but some color may show through in younger specimens. They are often covered with a thick, velvety, periostracum. Ferguson’s Cone is one of the one of the larger Baja Cones, reaching a maximum of 16.0 cm (6.3 inches) in length and 10.9 cm (4.3 inches) in height.

The Ferguson’s Cones are found over and within sand substate in the intertidal zone to depths of 212 m (540 feet). They range from Bahia Tortugas, Baja California Sur to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands and they are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Conus consanguineous, Conus fulvocintus and Pyruconus fergusoni.