Red Branched Murex shell  Art on Canvas in a Red Bijou Frame.

The Branched Murex, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae. It is considered an economically important species in the Indo-West Pacific, especially in India. These are sometimes called Jugged Shell, Ram's Murex Shell.

Found during the day on clean, coarse, rubble and sandy bottoms, sometimes partially buried, over coral and rocky reefs, emerging only  at night to feed. The snails feed on bivalves by boring a hole into the animal and inserting their proboscis to feed.  They come in a range of colors and blend in with their surroundings. These shells are highly prized collectors items with their winged and pungent spines.  Some look like walking skeleton shells. 

If you are a conchologist (collector and student of shells) we would love to hear from you about how you would improve this description.