My photos of the Tonna melanostoma, a giant underwater mollusc, are the only ones of the live animal in the public domain. We are so fortunate to have these special and rare creatures living in our coral-reef lagoons; their existence here serves to highlight what a special habitat Norfolk Island’s reef really is. It is an ecosystem that must be preserved at all costs.

We must not let this animal follow the example of Christmas Island’s tiny native bat that is now extinct after warnings that it was in danger were met with equivocation and delayed action. Read about the demise of the Pipistrellus murrayi here.

Below is the complete article co-written by myself and Chris Vos for the Royal Belgian Society for Conchology publication, Gloria Maris, published in December 2021. It is reproduced here with the kind permission of Gloria Maris editor David Monsecour.