Basically and very secularly, molluscs with shells can be diversified into two types: gastropods and bivalves Gastropods have only one shell that we commonly call conches. A common example on our tables is the cañailla. Bivalves are animals that have two shells capable of opening and closing. A very common example is mussels.
Collecting shells and conch shells while walking on the beach is one of the first hobbies we can instill in our young children. In addition, we must point out that the most important thing is not the amount collected, but the perfection, beauty, integrity and originality of the selected snails and shells. Then, at home, classifying them through the internet, or some old encyclopedia, is something very instructive as well as exciting.
If you continue reading this article you will see that our site will show you some types of seashells and conch shells.
Conchshells
During a walk along any beach in our country you will be able to find countless conches and seashells, each one more beautiful. Here we will show you some very common ones, and later we will expose more exotic specimens.
Turritella
This beautiful and stylized conch is very common, but not all of them are intact.
Calilla
This conch is very harmonious, despite its spikes.
Atlantic Newt
This beautiful conch shell is also found in the Mediterranean Sea, and hermit crabs use it as a mobile home.
Shells
Razor
The hard thing about razors is finding the two blades together.
Cockle
Your gorgeous stretch marks range from snowy white to deep red.
Clam
There are countless species of clam, each more beautiful.
Exotic snails that are not snails
In all the seas and oceans of the world there are wonderful seashells, some of which are not snails. The two mentioned are not snails.
Abalone
Also known as abalones, they are gastropod molluscs highly valued in Asia. Those found in the Mediterranean are very small (there are some on the Menorcan coast).
Nautilus
This wonderful conch belongs to a cephalopod mollusk.
Exotic Bivalves
There are some bivalves with the ability to produce pearls. Pearls are mother-of-pearl secretions with which pearl oysters protect themselves from foreign elements that lodge inside their shells. In fact a pearl is an oyster cyst.
Pearl Oyster
The Pinctada margaritifera variety produces beautiful pearls.
Giant Clam
These huge clams are the largest bivalves in the world. They have been used as fonts for holy water in churches and cathedrals. There are specimens that exceed 300 kg. of weight.
Exotic conches
The world of seashells is of extraordinary size and beauty. Next we expose some copies.
Cones
These precious snails are poisonous to a lesser or greater extent.
Puperita Pupa
These little snails are wonderful. The Caribbean Sea is the area where these snails live.
Using shells
Shells have an ancestral history From fossil shells that tell us that there were seas where there are now mountains, to shell necklaces from the Stone Age found in excavations. Apart from feeding the animals that possess them, the shells have been used as currency in Africa, the Caribbean and North America.
Some shells have been used as tools, others as musical instruments, or even as religious objects. Nacre objects are made with mother-of-pearl or porcelain shells. Cameos, necklaces, bracelets, buttons, fans and countless other objects are made with shell fragments or inlays.
Don't forget to share photos of your findings in the comments!
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