Since the discovery of the Thrush Cowrie, Naria turdus, in Florida in December 2022*, several other findings of the species have been informally reported for the east coast of Florida, most between Palm Beach County and Key West in the lower Florida Keys. The Thrush Cowrie originates from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean, and had been introduced to the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. One of the most recent sightings of the species took place in the same general area as that of the first finding, Lake Worth Lagoon. On October 29, 2023, Christian Jones found and photographed a living Thrush Cowrie in 8–10 feet of water, ten feet away from the pilings of the Blue Heron Bridge. One of his great photos is shown here. And one wonders how much the local species of cowries will be affected by the introduction of this non-indigenous species.
* See the March 2023 report by Oleinik and collaborators published in The Nautilus here