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+--- Thread: Is this a shell? (/showthread.php?tid=1339)
Is this a shell? - Carbon - 04-30-2011
Hi, I was walking on the beach in the north coast of Scotland and came across this delicate looking item, I'm not sure if it is a shell or some kind of egg.
I have never seen one before.
Anyone know what it is? Thanks.
[img width=209 height=480]http://i51.tinypic.com/fx5o5w.jpg[/img]
Re: Is this a shell? - paul monfils - 05-01-2011
It's a "shell" in the broad sense, but not a mollusk shell. This is a "test" ("shell") of a heart urchin, an echinoderm, a phylum of animals that also includes sea urchins and sea stars. In life it was covered with small slender spines which made it look "fuzzy" or "velvety". I don't have much expertise regarding species of this group, but I think it may be this one:
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