5
OYSTER SHELL
Most oysters have shells that are rough outside, but pearly inside. Grains of sand that find their way into oyster shells are smothered with layers of shell material, turning them into pearls.^6
SEA URCHIN TEST
Sea urchins belong to a group of animals called echinoderms. Their “shells” are covered with skin, so they are not true shells like those of molluscs. Known as tests, they are peppered with holes and small
knobs where the spines were
once attached.
7
SPINY SAND COCKLE
Cockles and clams are molluscs with two shells, called bivalves.
A cockle burrows into sand,
often on coasts that dry out
at low tide, but it can close
its shells tightly to keep itself
moist until the tide turns.^8
MANUS ISLAND SNAIL
All snails have a shell that is coiled in a spiral, so the coil gets smaller towards the tip. As the snail grows, it adds shell material at the shell mouth, which gets broader all the time.
Co
w
ri
se
The spiny oyster shell is
found off California, and
is often used in Native
American jewellery
Bl
ac
k-
lip
pe
d^
oy
st
er
M
an
us
Is
lan
d^ s
nail
Tr
po
ic
al
se
a^
ur
ch
in
Sp
in
(^) y
as
dn
c
co
lk
e
Spi
ny^
oyst
er^ sh
ell
Cu
ba
n^
la
nd
s
an
sli
45
4
8
6
7
5
Tr
op
ica
l^ se
a^ u
rchi
n
Position of sea urchin’s mouth
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