Monday, February 15, 2010

She Sells Seashells

In class we have these great seashells. The task for this weekend has been to figure out where they came from, what different kinds there are, why they are the shapes they are with what patterns.
I learned that seashells are the external skeleton for water life animals under the mollusk category.
My shell is part of the Queen Conch family (or so I think). Other names are the Eustrombus gigas, previously known as Strombus gigas. The animals that live inside are very big snails basically that are edible for humans and other meat eatin' animals. The reason there is such a large slanted opening in the side, is for the snails very large leg. Most of it's organs are on the outside, so they need a very hard shell to protect it from harm. All of the limbs that extend out of the shell are regenerate-able. The lines and knicks are made from the places were they live, which according to wikipedia is in sandy and seaweedy meadows underwater between the Gulf of Mexico and South America. The prongs that stick out of the top help the mollusk rotate itself when it has fallen upside down, and somewhat protect it from predators.
At first, I wasn't insane about drawing my shell for 2 hours. But I believe we have become friends since.

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