Hawaiian Tiger Cowry (Cypraea tigris schilderiana) – size 12cm
The Hawaiian Tiger Cowry is an endemic Hawaiian subspecies of Tiger Cowry. They get much larger than the Tiger Cowries in the rest of the Indo Pacific. Some are light like this one. Kauai 2013
Some of the Hawaiian Tiger Cowries are dark like this one. I have often found them in pairs too. Kauai 2020
A Hawaiian Tiger Cowry with the mantle partially covering the shell. The mantal is usually not out while resting. At night they are active, and the mantle comes out and covers the shell. Besides making the shell shiny the mantle is like a lung which is handy during activity. Kauai 2021
A Japanese Tiger Cowry (Cypraea tigris) ホシダカラ – size 11cm
This is the first Japanese Tiger Cowry that I have found in the ocean. It was much larger than I expected. The Hawaiian Tiger cowry is said to be the largest. The Tiger Cowries in the gift shops in Hawaii are all much smaller than the local ones. I was surprised to see that this one was much larger than I expected. It was in the size range of the Hawaiian Tiger Cowries. Amami 2025