A Field Guide to Shells

A Field Guide to Shells
Author: Robert Tucker Abbott
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 520
Release: 1995
Genre: Shells
ISBN: 9780618164394

Describes and depicts eight hundred species of shells.

Peterson First Guide to Shells of North America

Peterson First Guide to Shells of North America
Author: Jackie Leatherbury Douglass
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 134
Release: 1998-05-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780395911822

Describes and illustrates shells found in North America, including gastropods, chitons, and bivalves.

The Book of Shells

The Book of Shells
Author: M.G. Harasewych
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 658
Release: 2014-12-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 022617705X

Who among us hasn’t marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up, held it to our ear, and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore, the Outer Banks, or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells, their role in explaining evolutionary history, and the incredible variety of forms in which they come. Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks, an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100,000 kinds of recorded mollusks, and some estimate that there are over amillion more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air, others live in fresh water, but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume, they finally get their full due. The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells, each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the shell’s range, distribution, abundance, habitat, and operculum—the piece that protects the mollusk when it’s in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait. The Matchless Cone, for instance, or Conus cedonulli, was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so, in fact, that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving, this shell has become far more accessible to collectors—though not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths. The Zebra Nerite, the Heart Cockle, the Indian Babylon, the Junonia, the Atlantic Thorny Oyster—shells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to the ocean’s deepest recesses, are all on display in this definitive work.

Florida's Seashells

Florida's Seashells
Author: Blair E. Witherington
Publisher: Pineapple Press Inc
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2007
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781561643875

"Descriptive accounts, distribution maps, and 265 color photographs describe 252 species of mollusk shells as beachcombers are likely to find them"--P. [4] of cover.

Guide to Seashells of the World

Guide to Seashells of the World
Author: Arthur Peter Hoblyn Oliver
Publisher: Firefly Books
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2004
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781552979433

Guide to over 1,200 species of seashells from all around the world.

Texas Seashells

Texas Seashells
Author: John W. Tunnell (Jr.)
Publisher: Harte Research Institute for G
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2014
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781623491673

This field guide covers three hundred of the better-known or more common seashells found on Texas coastlines, With more than 600 detailed and data-rich color photographs, each species with at least two views, Texas Seashells is sure to make shell identification fun, quick, and easy.

Seashells of North Carolina

Seashells of North Carolina
Author: Hugh J. Porter
Publisher: North Carolina Sea Grant
Total Pages: 146
Release: 1998-05
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

For many people, seashells are just part of the beach scenery--thousands of pretty but nameless objects strewn along the shore. Other people know the names of shells but often wonder how they were formed and what type of animal lived inside. Such incidental knowledge may not seem important, but it can encourage people to observe their environment more closely and to gain a better understanding of it. As a result, they may become better fishers, more informed teachers or more conscientious stewards of our coast. To this end, the seashell guide was produced. Many collectors get started when they find an intriguing shell, perhaps after a storm, and search for it in a guide. Others, by chance, meet an experienced sheller on the beach. Talking with a collector passionate about shells is likely to spark an interest in anyone who has spent time at the coast. A walk down the beach is never the same once you begin to recognize a few shells. Gradually, you learn to use certain marks to solve the puzzle of shell identification. The walk becomes more satisfying as you recognize familiar shells like old friends, and it becomes more exciting as you look for new ones.

Shells & Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest

Shells & Shellfish of the Pacific Northwest
Author: Rick M. Harbo
Publisher: Madiera Park, B.C. : Harbour Publishing
Total Pages: 280
Release: 1997
Genre: Nature
ISBN:

This easy to follow, full-colour guide introduces the more than 250 species of mollusks found along the beaches and shallow waters of the Pacific Northwest.