mollusk shells
Snail protective coverings
Mollusk shells are the hard external coverings produced by mollusks—snails, clams, oysters, mussels, and their relatives.
These calcium carbonate structures protect the soft-bodied animals inside.
Collected shells are prized for their variety and beauty: She gathered mollusk shells along the beach.
The term appears in scientific and educational contexts more than casual speech, where people usually just say shells.
- nacreIridescent shell coating
- wampumIndigenous American bead currency
- aragoniteCalcium carbonate crystal form
- cowrie shellsMollusks used as currency
- mother-of-pearlIridescent inner shell coating
pearl oyster · beach combing · ornamentation · calcium carbonate · jewelry making · laminae · mollusks · habitat creation · religious symbols · trade goods · bivalves · cone shells · sea snail · abalone · souvenirs · cowrie · barnacle · clam
- bioremainsbones, teeth, seeds, pollen, shells
- carbonate sandcoral sand
- mollusksclams, mollusks, snail, snails, mussels
- bioarchaeologyhuman remains, disease markers, health history, growth patterns, occupational stress
- carbonate grainspellets, pellet, lumps
- paleoclimatepaleoclimate, ice age, ice ages, ice cores, ice core
mollusk shellsendoskeletons
Supportive frameworks inside organisms
endoskeleton · cartilage · spinal columns · bird bones · cuttlebone