Harlequin Cowrie Shell

The wonderfully patterned surface of the Harlequin Cowrie Shell with its beige coloured base is covered with lots of pale spots with delicate brown-orange edges.

The underside is mainly creamy white and reveals a darker long ridged aperture.

Cowrie seashells are often prized and admired by collectors for their smooth, glossy, porcelain-like appearance and colourful patterns. There are approximately two hundred species with the most abundant found in the tropics.

Cowrie or cowry is the common name given to the family of Cypraeidae shells in which live marine gastropod molluscs, or sea snails.

The Harlequin Cowrie (cyprea mauritia histrio westralis) are a common throughout the Indo-Pacific, living in intertidal and shallow sub tidal waters, usually hiding during the day under the rocks or in deep crevices in coral reefs.

Sold Individually

Size: approx 5-6 cm long