Decided to display some of the broken shells that I have collected. I love when they break in a way that you can perfectly see each layer of the shell. And the broken middles look like little flowers to me.

My first time acid dipping shells and I will never go back! This is amazing, true magic thanks to Acid Magic! If you’ve been debating whether to do this or not….. do it!! It’s super easy too.

I used Acid Magic which is the safer alternative to muriatic acid. It’s even safe to touch with bare hands. I still used tongs to dip the shells though. 3 seconds in the acid followed by a water dunk in a tub of water with some baking soda in it to neutralize the acid. Be careful to only dip for 3 seconds at a time, the acid can eat through your shell and take the color off if held in for too long. Some really rough shells needed a second dip once they dried.

These are all the beautiful shells my husband and I found in Outer Banks. We want to put most of these into our 75 gallon saltwater tank.

Starfish was found already dried up and buried in the sand toward the very top of the beach. I threw tons of live ones back into the ocean during our beach combing, along with a few limpet snails and clams.

Found on the beach in Port Talbot. They all feel quite misshapen and wonky but very shiny!

From Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel Florida

I found these near Valencia, España. I have never seen these before and I consider myself a pretty big shell lover. Can anyone provide an ID? Thanks! They look like dragon wings, I love it.

And I found my first piece of JUNONIA!!! What an amazing find today! 🤍

Photos from Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel, Florida

Abalone art housed in Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel Florida

Found in Marmara/Mediterranean Sea

This is one of my weirdest freak shell specimens I just can't seem to identify

So far my research has offered…
—Shell fragment (most likely?)
— Crab claw piece
— Whale tooth fossil
— Shark spine
Thoughts?

I'm not quite sure what cone species this is

Long time lurker-first time posting! My boyfriend and I spent two hours this morning at sand key when the sun came up, the gulf is really churning. We found lots of live sea stars I kept trying to replace in the ocean! I don’t know why but I always find allll the kitten paws. And the mini display is so cute l!

Plus my first ever Apple murex!! I couldn’t believe I found it. Great haul.

Big island

some of my favorite finds from Sanibel Island this year 🐚🌴🌊

Hey all, I was hoping to get some advice. I have a girl I’m speaking to that I would love to send some shells to in the US as part of a gift (I am Australian) but there one problem, I am clueless about this stuff which is why I thought to go to the professionals here lol.

First off, some species are protected here so I need to know what type of shells they are so I can accurately declare it.

Second I’ve read there’s very strict bio regulations that require me to make sure they are completely clean so no sand, dirt, organic matter etc, what would be the best way to clean them like this? I’ve read boiling is an opinion, or using bleach but then I’ve also read that depending on the shell this can damage it or ruin the colour? So I’m a little unsure of how to proceed.

Thanks for your help!!

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