Identification of shell - Printable Version +- Forums SEASHELL-COLLECTOR (http://forum.seashell-collector.com) +-- Forum: Seashell Collector's Forum (http://forum.seashell-collector.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3) +--- Forum: Shells identification Help (http://forum.seashell-collector.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Thread: Identification of shell (/showthread.php?tid=412)

Identification of shell - micmic - 02-27-2007 Hi, I pick something like this on the beach yesterday. Can anyone tell me what's the name of this shell ? <a href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/477088" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.badongo.com/pic/477088">http://www.badongo.com/pic/477088</a><!-- m --></a> Identification of shell - micmic - 02-27-2007 hi, Paul, Thank you for your reply, it is so detail. Wow... can not imagine that it is the internal structure. I have search in google and tried to find out what's the name. However, i eventually give up finding. I never see this in my life time, i thought it is a "rare shell". lol. Anyway, I will still keep it with my seashell collection. Thanks for the useful information. I have learn a lot from your site. Identification of shell - paul monfils - 02-27-2007 The scientific name of this shell is Spirula spirula. It is not actually a "shell" in the usual sense, though it does come from a mollusc. This is an internal structure from a small deep water squid-like animal. The chambers of the structure are filled with a gas that helps the animal maintain buoyancy.  When the animal dies, the soft parts decompose and the gas-filled "shell" rises to the surface, where it can float for many miles until it is finally washed up on a beach. More information can be found here: <a href="http://www.tolweb.org/Spirula_spirula/19989" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.tolweb.org/Spirula_spirula/19989">http://www.tolweb.org/Spirula_spirula/19989</a><!-- m --></a> <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/ram-s-horn-squid" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.answers.com/topic/ram-s-horn-squid">http://www.answers.com/topic/ram-s-horn-squid</a><!-- m --></a> .  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2007-02-27 05:49:06 --</span>