Sea shells and shells

Agree, now you rarely meet a man who was not attracted to showcases at all, in which there are huge quantities of seashells, pebbles, perfect balances of salt water and the remains of glass and outlandish corals.

And how many such gifts of sea depths we bring annually, returning from both overseas and local resorts? That's right - hundreds! In truth, it has already become a kind of tradition to come from a rest, taking as a souvenir a piece of that, another world where a restful, restful negation and some special inner freedom prevail.

Seashells. general information

In accordance with scientific terminology, the habitual shells (or mollusks) are called outer hard shells of snails of various shapes and contours. They have some special gloss, so most can shine in the sun.

It should be noted that all of them exist in the World Ocean in different environments and in completely different depths.

Many empty shells can be found on the seashore, in bays near rocks, in shallow waters, in sand and under silt. From the scientific point of view, seashells, whose names are difficult enough to memorize, are of great value in terms of studying ways to adapt to the environment.

This is engaged in a special and very promising field of science, called mariculture. By the way, this term can be translated literally into Russian as "culture of the sea". But the collection and study of shells belong to the sections of conchology.

By the way, we can not fail to mention that today in nature there are many species that can not be taken away from their natural habitat. Neglect in relation to this law is severely punished, and violators can be exposed to a huge fine.

The main types of mollusks

The inhabitants of the seas and oceans, which have a dense shell, commonly referred to as a shell, usually belong to one of two classes.

1. Gastropods, which have an integral coil or spiral shape with a hole in the right corner. Some species have a tire, which serves as a kind of hatch for closing the shell. Their shell can be both horny and calcareous.
2. Bivalve same aquatic mollusks, in turn, differ in shell, consisting of two symmetrical parts. Their habitat can be both salty and fresh water.

Shells of saline waters of the World Ocean, as a rule, are very beautiful and diverse. All of them differ in their colors, sizes and shapes. Take, for example, a representative such as the starfish shell. Practical each of us knows what this species looks like, but at the same time, you will agree, even in the collection we collected ourselves, we can not find even two exactly identical specimens.

Is it true that in the shell you can hear the song of the sea?

From the very childhood we all know that if you attach any, even the smallest stone cochlea to your ear, you will hear the noise of the sea. And many argue that this does not depend on where and when were collected some of the seashells. And now, for this very interesting fact, several theories have already been formed.

The first, unjustified theory says that the shells allegedly retain the noises of the seas and oceans. Though sad to say, this is nothing more than fiction, not backed up scientifically.

The second theory states that when the object is brought to the ear, people hear the noise of the movement of blood through their own blood vessels. But this fact is quite easy to destroy. For example, you will agree, after intensive physical exercises, the blood circulates through the body at a very high rate. In this case, the noise in the shell should change, but this does not happen.

The third theory says that in the shell you can hear the sound of a stream of air moving through it. It becomes clear why the sound will be louder if the shell is brought to the ear itself, and weak - if you hold near it. This idea is also refuted, it is only necessary to place the object in a special soundproof room. In this case, the noise from the shell completely disappears, but the air streams in it remain as before.

After figuring out all this, it becomes clear that the sound of the ocean from the shell is heard only when it is around the shell. This is the basis for the most truthful, fourth theory.

In fact, the sound of the sea is a changed ambient noise that reflects off the walls of the shells, so it's clearer for larger objects. And the more sounds around, the more clearly it will be heard in the shell. From this it follows that it is a simple resonator chamber.

By the way, to hear the song of the sea, it is not necessary to have a shell, you can attach an ordinary glass or even a palm to your ear.

Inhabitants of the seas and oceans: unusual facts

1. What are they? The shell is an outer skeleton of the mollusk, which it builds throughout its existence. When the shellfish grows, its shell also grows. Coloring it depends on the substance that is released from the glands, so the seashells can be painted very differently, most often there are instances of a strip, a line and speckles. It should be noted that the smallest representatives can be seen only through the magnifying glass, while the large ones sometimes reach a meter in size.
2. How does pearls appear? Not everyone knows that the largest shell in the world has a rape. This ferocious predator has a sharp tongue-drill and a muscular leg. He, as well as all such species, knows how to "make" pearls. When a foreign body enters the shell of a mollusk, it begins to be intensively protected by layers of mother-of-pearl. This is how the precious pearl appears. This rape was brought from the Pacific Ocean into the Black Sea accidentally, and then took root and changed the ecosystem formed here.
3. Are there any kind of totems? Oh sure. For example, the shell of the cowry has long been a real symbol. In ancient times, it was used instead of money and was considered a sign of special wealth and prosperity for many peoples. In addition, the shell of the sea scallop has long become a kind of talisman among travelers. By the way, not everyone knows that some religions worship rapan as a symbol of the existence of man and his soul on earth.

Healing properties of the shell

About them, you see, you've heard far from everyone. In the oldest eastern medicine on the planet, it is common to use shells of kauri and rapans with a massage.

But in modern SPA-salons are now quite successfully doing massage with hot seashells. It stimulates blood circulation, relaxes muscles and calms the nervous system.

Cosmetology also did not stay aloof. In this direction, products are widely used for the preparation of effective anti-aging agents, in which microparticles of shells are added as one of the components.

The most expensive shell in the world: what is it?

It's not a secret that many famous and very wealthy inhabitants of the planet collect shells, like us, wandering along the seashore or ocean in search of a particularly unusual specimen.

However, the powerful of this world do it a little differently. They simply buy what has been found to others.

In general, the collection of shells is called the passion of aristocrats. To expand their collections, they acquire precious specimens of different types, families, forms and colors. For example, the most expensive in the world shell of the Culpean Fulton was sold for 37 000 US dollars.