Seashells and shells

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Agree, now you rarely meet a person who would not at all be attracted to shop windows, on which seashells, pebbles, glass remains ideally honed by s alt water and outlandish corals are placed in huge quantities.

And how many of these gifts of the deep sea do we bring annually, returning from both overseas and local resorts? That's right - hundreds! In truth, it has already become a kind of tradition to come back from vacation, taking as a souvenir a piece of that other world, where reigns rejuvenating rest, relaxing bliss and some special inner freedom.

Seashells. General information

In accordance with scientific terminology, the usual shells (or mollusks) are the outer hard shells of snails of various shapes and contours. They have some special sheen, so most are able to shine in the sun.

It should be noted that they all exist in the World Ocean in different environments and at completely different depths.

Many empty shells can be found on the seashore, in bays near rocks, in shallow water, insand and under mud. From a scientific point of view, seashells, whose names are difficult to remember, are of great value in terms of studying ways to adapt to the environment.

This is a special and very promising area of science called mariculture. By the way, this term can be literally translated into Russian as “culture of the sea”. But the collection and study of shells belong to the sections of conchology.

By the way, it is impossible not to mention that today in nature there are many species, which are strictly forbidden to be taken away from their natural habitat. Disregard for this law is severely punished, and violators can be subject to a huge fine.

Main types of shellfish

Inhabitants of the seas and oceans, having a dense shell, colloquially called a shell, as a rule, belong to one of two classes.

Gastropod molluscs that have a solid coil or spiral shape with a hole in the right corner. Some species have a tire that serves as a kind of hatch for closing the shell. Their shell can be either horny or calcareous.
Bivalve aquatic mollusks, in turn, are distinguished by a shell consisting of two symmetrical parts. Their habitat can be both s alt and fresh water.

Sinks of the s alty waters of the oceans, as a rule, are very beautiful and varied. All of them differ in their colors, sizes and shapes. Let's take, for example, thisrepresentative, like a shell starfish. Practically each of us knows what this species looks like, but at the same time, you must admit, even in the collection we collected with our own hands, we cannot even find two completely identical specimens.

Is it true that the song of the sea is heard in the shell?

From childhood, we all know that if you put any, even the smallest, stone snail to your ear, you will hear how the sea rustles. Moreover, many argue that this does not depend on where and when certain seashells were collected. And today, several theories have already formed around this very interesting fact.

The first, unjustified theory says that shells supposedly retain the noises of the seas and oceans. Although it's sad to say, this is nothing more than fiction with no scientific backing.

The second theory claims that when bringing this object to the ear, people hear the noise of the movement of blood through their own blood vessels. But this fact is easy enough to destroy. For example, you must admit that after intense physical exercise, the blood circulates through the body at a very high speed. In this case, the noise in the shell should change, but it doesn't.

The third theory says that the shell can hear the sound of air moving through it. It becomes clear why the sound will be louder if the shell is brought to the ear itself, and weaker - if kept near it. This idea is also refuted, one has only to place the object in a specialsoundproof room. In this case, the noise from the shell completely disappears, but the air flows in it remain the same.

After clarifying all this, it becomes clear that the sound of the ocean from the shell is heard only when it is around the shell. This is the basis of the most truthful, fourth theory.

Actually, the sound of the sea is a modified ambient noise that reflects off the walls of the shells, so it is heard more clearly on larger objects. Moreover, the more sounds around, the more clearly it will be heard in the shell. It follows that it is a simple resonator chamber.

By the way, to hear the song of the sea, it is not necessary to have a shell at all, you can put an ordinary glass or even a palm to your ear.

Inhabitants of the seas and oceans: unusual facts

What are they? The shell is the outer skeleton of a mollusk, which it builds throughout its existence. As the mollusk grows, so does its shell. Its color depends on the substance that is secreted from the glands, so seashells can be painted in a very diverse way, most often there are striped, lined and speckled specimens. It should be noted that the smallest representatives can only be seen through a magnifying glass, and large ones sometimes reach meter sizes.
How do pearls appear? Not everyone knows that the largest shell in the world has a rapan. This ferocious predator has a sharp drill tongue and a muscular leg. He, like all similar species, knows how to "make" pearls. When in a clam shellan alien body enters, it begins to intensively defend itself with layers of mother-of-pearl. This is how a precious pearl appears. This rapan was brought from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea by accident, after which it took root and changed the ecosystem formed here.
Are there any peculiar totems? Oh sure. For example, the cowrie shell has long been a real symbol. In ancient times, it was used instead of money and among many peoples was considered a sign of special we alth and prosperity. In addition, the scallop shell has long become a kind of talisman for travelers. By the way, not everyone knows that certain religions revere the rapana as a symbol of the existence of man and his soul on earth.

Healing properties of shells

About them, you see, not everyone heard about them. In the most ancient oriental medicine on the planet, the use of cowrie shells and rapans for massage is quite common.

But in modern SPA-salons, hot shell massage is now quite successful. It stimulates circulation, relaxes muscles and calms the nervous system.

Cosmetology also did not stand aside. In this direction, products are widely used for the preparation of effective anti-aging products, in which shell microparticles are added as one of the components.

The most expensive shell in the world: what is it?

It is far from a secret that many famous and very we althy inhabitants of the planet collect shells, like us wanderingalong the seashore or ocean in search of a particularly unusual specimen.

However, the powers that be do it a little differently. They simply buy what others have found.

In general, collecting shells is called a hobby of aristocrats. To expand their collections, they acquire precious specimens of different types, families, shapes and colors. For example, the world's most expensive shell, Fulton's cypress, sold for $37,000.