3 years of planning, 3 weeks of installation… all shell paths lead to our new Great Hall! Today Phase 1 of the new shell exhibits is open. Plan your visit and experience the Museum in a new light!
Join us June 9th as we kick off our Beat the Heat Beach Walks! Explore the Sanibel beach in the early morning and learn about various local shells and mollusks with Museum Educators. These early morning walks last about an hour and take place at Gulfside City Park on Sanibel Island. $15 for adults, $5 for Members and youth. Register at link in bio or ShellMuseum.org/beach-walks
This shell of an immature Queen Helmet (Cassis madagascariensis) measures only 16.7 mm (approximately 0.66 inch; the species can grow to 410 mm, or 16.1 inches). It was dredged in 1981 off Boynton Beach (Palm Beach County), Florida and donated to the National Shell Museum & Aquarium in the early years of the institution. It’s remarkable how much that immature shell already resembles adult shells of the species. Already present on the shell are typical Queen Helmet features such as the general shape, reticulated sculpture, outer lip, and axial (“vertical”) ribs called varices (singular varix) (arrow). Varices indicate periods of diminished growth rate that are common in helmets, bonnets, and triton snails, among others. The shell was identified by Chris Whitt and photographed by José H. Leal.
Come weigh our Giant Pacific Octopus with Senior Aquarist, Jake. Weighing our animals ensures we are tracking their growth and feeding them accordingly- essential parts of the healthcare they receive here.
Angel Wings (*Cyrtopleura costata*) live buried in sand or mud, inhabiting a cylindrical tunnel, which they occupy for the duration of their lives. Like most bivalve mollusks, Angel Wings are filter feeders, pulling water in through an *incurrent siphon*, pushing it through the gills, where the food particles are retained, then returning the water back to the environment via an *excurrent siphon*. The siphons are extensible, relatively long, and fused along their length. The incurrent siphon is wider than the excurrent one.
The photo of the living clam, taken by Amy Tripp at Kice Island, Florida, shows the siphons protruding from the sandy bottom. And the short video, by Linda Shockley, shows those siphons “in action”, with the current released by the excurrent siphon noticeably reaching the water surface above it. Many thanks to Linda and Amy for letting us use their materials in this post!
Have you gotten yours yet? The poster “Cool Florida Shells!” was designed and produced by Museum’s Science Director & Curator Dr José H. Leal. The high-definition shell photos with sizes and common and scientific names are printed on high quality 18x24” semi-glossy paper. The black background makes the shell colors POP! Click the *Shop* button at ShellMuseum.org to shop online and support the Museum!
The “ugly duckling” of local shells is also one of our favorites! The Ponderous Ark (*Noetia ponderosa*) is one of the most common bivalves in Southwest Florida. A striking feature of this species is its dark-brown or black, velvet-like *periostracum*, the organic shell layer that covers a part of or the entire shell. Visiting beachgoers often assume that the periostracum of the Ponderous Ark is oil, tar, or another pollutant deposited onto the otherwise white shell. This false impression was frequent after the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This image also explores a different angle and lighting to show cool features inside the Ponderous Ark shell. The image highlights the hinge, with many small "teeth," and the intricate pattern of different “scars” indicating muscle attachment sites on the shell of the living animal.
Join us June 9th as we kick off our Beat the Heat Beach Walks! Explore the Sanibel beach in the early morning and learn about various local shells and mollusks with Museum Educators. These early morning walks last about an hour and take place at Gulfside City Park on Sanibel Island. $15 for adults, $5 for Members and youth. Register at link in bio or ShellMuseum.org/beach-walks
This sleek, white Golden Cowrie (Callistocypraea aurantium) lacks the usual golden-orange pigmentation on its dorsal surface and between the aperture “teeth”. Instead, the shell is almost pure white with a faint orange-salmon hue on its base. Though the term *albino* has been used in the past to qualify pigment-deficient shells, these shells are made by animals that do not lack pigmentation on their soft parts, so the term *albino* in these cases may not apply correctly; shell collectors prefer the term *albinistic*.
The spectacular shell belongs to Mr Donald Dan, a well-known shell trader and lifelong supporter of the National Shell Museum & Aquarium. It measures 80 mm (3.15 inches) and was collected off Zamboanga in the Philippines. The species typically reaches 100 mm (approximately 4 inches) and is found in the tropical waters of the west-central to south-central Pacific Ocean.
Our Museum Store has everything you need for Mom this Mother’s Day! Shop in-store daily from 10-5 (and Members, don’t forget you get a 20% off discount), or online at the link in bio or at Store.ShellMuseum.org.
