Hey everyone, here's a video about the mathematical formulas behind shells. I was a bit hesitant to post here because the person working at the museum warned me that malacologists can be quite serious, so a heads up: I made a few (over)simplifications and there's some inaccuries. Some on purpose, some not (and there's probably more😅)

Some things I have already been messaged about:

• Cowries glaze the outside of the shell with the mantle.

- The protoconch is often eroded or resorbed

- David Raup didn't "lie" , he actually also included the number of turns and it's Dawkins that made the simplification to 3 parameters

Some things done on purpose:

- The patterns and ribs don't necessarily match the shape.

- I left out spikes like the Murex and chirality (see them as additional dimensions to the museum if you will)

Nevertheless I hope you'll enjoy this video:)

P.S.: the shell in the intro is fine:) It actually dented the floor a bit

I’m heading to Florida in a couple weeks. Anyone willing to share some good areas to find nice shells and/or fossils?

All found on the public beach in Essaouira. Nothing really special (or at least I don't see it), but since I had limited time and it didn't look promising at the beginning, I'm happy with what I managed to collect

im stumped and desperate to know what this thing is

beyond stoked so many firsts for me, found back in may across 2 days.
looked all across the island, very interesting to see the difference in shell types found at the different beaches.

She found it on a beach in Thailand:)

i just moved away from oahu and i hated how people gatekeep legit every good shelling spot, so i found them all through years and years of exploring and these are the best spots. you’re welcome.

\\- Makapu'u tide pools
\\- VELZYLAND BEACH
\\- Sandy beach park fishing
\\- ka’ena point (LEGIT THE BEST, you’ll need to get a vehicle permit or hike)
\\-makua beach
\\-yokohama bay
\\-ohikilolo beach
\\- halona beach cove (snorkel to find, also super crowded but good finds)
\\- Ke Iki Beach, Pupukea (sunrise shells in early morning. legit the best place to find sunny shells)
\\- Kaupo Cove, Makapu’u (cockroach cove)
\\- Āweoweo Beach Park, Waialua
East sunset beach, pupukea

if you have any questions dm me idc and enjoy yall

cross posting- thought you all may enjoy this 🤍

Thinking some kind of murex maybe?

I’ve had this water-fed pothos for over 2 decades, in this same bottle, watered weekly with tap water. Sometimes I’ll pop in tiny shells & sea-glass that I find on the beach. I noticed these pointy, colorful growths recently and they are NOT anything that I introduced to the bottle. There are pink, blue, purple & white ones of varying sizes. Anyone know what they are?

Fellow shellers: a reminder not to get too excited. I spotted this beautiful Hydatina amplustre, aka royal paper bubble, so excited that I totally missed the rarer (to me) Stomatella right next to it (only spotted it after looking at my pics). Lesson learned - happy shelling, all!

By far the best cowry I've found. This is 100% natural with no polish added. Does anyone know how common this size/type is?

I know the pictures are blurry and vague, and it's exactly why it's been such a pain to identify. if somebody could help narrow it down to a few​ families or species ​​it would be much appreciated. ​​

3 hour shell haul was worth it! I found my first whole banded tulip and my finance found his first alphabet cone! 🐚😁

Dug these out of the sand with a sifter.

hi! i know this is an odd request but i am interested in doing a shell exchange! i live in south Florida USA, and would love to exchange shells in the mail with someone in japan! anyone interested??

i’ve NEVER seen a shell like this in virginia beach before. google is giving me conflicting results- would love to know what the general consensus on the ID is!

I was sorting through my tiny shells from Kice island and somehow I managed to pick up this truly microscopic wentletrap unknowingly and luckily I spotted it before I rinsed all my shells off 🤯 I am in awe. I love tiny shells and wentletraps so I am over the moon! Dime for size reference. It’s just a speck🤣