cool looking shell

[paul monfils]

This is not exactly a shell, but it is shell related. Some snails have a sort of "door" that they can use to block the entrance to their shell when they pull inside for protection.  It's called an operculum.  In most snails the operculum is made of a stiff brown material that looks kind of like wood.  But in a couple of snail families the operculum is made of the same material as the shell itself, and is often brightly colored.  What you are describing is an operculum from a turban shell.  Different species of turban shells have opercula (plural) of various colors, sometimes with fancy ridges or pebbling or other sculpture.  Here's a neat website all about opercula.  If you click on an operculum you can see an enlarged view, and then if you place your cursor over the picture, you can see the shell it came from. There about a dozen different turban shell (Turbo) opercula shown.  Maybe you can find yours.

<a href="http://www.nansaidh.us/operc/index1.html" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nansaidh.us/operc/index1.html">http://www.nansaidh.us/operc/index1.html</a><!-- m --></a>

In the shellcraft industry, these are known as "cat eyes":

<a href="http://www.shellhorizons.com/products.asp?Category=4&curPage=2&direction=forward" target="_blank"><!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.shellhorizons.com/products.asp?Category=4&curPage=2&direction=forward">http://www.shellhorizons.com/products.a ... on=forward</a><!-- m --></a>

.  <span class="petit">--Last edited by Paul Monfils on 2009-06-17 05:58:36 --</span>