The ocean is a place of mystery and intrigue. It’s not uncommon for those who visit it for the first time to feel like they’ve stepped into another world, one that’s filled with life and beauty. When we think about the ocean, we often think of its vastness, its depth, and its power…
But there’s also something else that fascinates us about it: the shells along its shoreline. They’re everywhere you look – on the beach, in tide pools, on coral reefs – and they’re just as varied as they are beautiful.
Seashells can’t always be taken home from holidays, as some may belong to protected species. Still, they are just beautiful forms to look at and photograph as they come in different shapes and sizes, colors, and textures.
5 of the world’s most beautiful seashells
The ones we have chosen for this article are the murex shells, queen conches, nautilus shells, abalone shells, and red delphinula shells. We picked them and not other ones cause they’re really stunning and a great reminder that the animal world can create what we could consider art, too.
- Murex Shell: Murex shells are created by a genus of predatory sea snails that live in tropical waters, typically shallow ones, in very close proximity to rocks or coral reefs. The shells are elongated and sculptured, characteristical thanks to their spines and fronds, which give them a feathery look and an almost angelic appearance.
- Queen Conch: the queen conch is a shell belonging to a large herbivorous snail named Aliger Gigas, that lives in the Caribbean and the tropical northwestern Atlantic. This snail loves the seagrass meadows, where it has plenty of species that it can feed on. It has a shell that can reach over 30 cm in mature individuals, although there are smaller ones, too. It has a spiral shell with 9-10 whorls and a flaring outer lip. The shell is solid and glossy, and it can be in various shades of orange and pink. Interestingly, queen conches are so common that there are landfills filled with them. The reason for this is people’s eager consumption of the snail – especially in the West Indies and Southern Florida.
- Nautilus Shell: this is one of our favorite shells, because it’s the unofficial symbol of the Mermaid Princess Amelia fantasy series (you can read why here). Overall, there’s a whole family of species called nautilus, so we have to be specific about what species we’re talking about: and that’s the chambered nautilus, also called “pearly.” For those of you who don’t know what a nautilus is, it’s a marine mollusk living in a spiral shell, characteristical thanks to its tentacles. The shell is a logarithmic spiral, but it is not a golden spiral (a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral that uses the golden ratio in its formula). It’s typically bright in color, with brown stripes that help the animal become less visible closer to the sea bottom (where there’s less light). These animals are a protected species now, so trading their shells is forbidden.
- Abalone Shell: Abalone is a marine snail that is found in many areas of the world. Its meat has been considered a delicacy for centuries. Lots of world cultures use it to make sashimi or stew. As for the abalone shell, it is highly characteristical thanks to its iridescent inner surface. Culturally, it was used for many purposes, such as jewelry, decoration, and even as a musical instrument. It’s important to know, though, that abalones can become extinct due to the acidifications of the ocean! In South Africa, it’s already labeled as an endangered species. In China and Japan, and other countries, people farm abalones for consumption especially.
- Red Delphinula Shell: This shell belongs to an animal called Kiener’s delphinula, or if you want, the Latin name: Angaria sphaerula. It is a marine sea snail that lives in the western pacific ocean, especially in the Philippines. The shell of this sea snail is highly ornamental and varies a lot, depending on the environment of the snail. But what’s typical is the spire shape with some sort of spikes or fronds and the wonderful color that’s a mix of white, deep pink, and red.
Final thoughts on the most beautiful seashells
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this short article on the five most beautiful seashells to marvel at! As you can see, there are so many seashells to marvel at in our world! Every shell is highly unique and filled with wonder… There is so much to discover! We hope that you subscribe to this blog so that we can keep in touch and learn more about the marine world together. Also, don’t forget to check out Maxine Foti’s fantasy novel about Mermaid Princess Amelia!
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