Tortoise Cowrie Shell

With irregular dark brown patches and spots it’s easy to see how the Tortoise Cowrie Shell acquired its name.

The species is one of the larger Indo Pacific Cowries and has a more elongated shape than most other cowries.

The base colour varies between creamy whites and pale pinkish browns whilst the underside reveals a long narrow aperture with short fine white ridges.

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 Tortoise Cowrie (chelycypraea testudinaria) 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.

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Size: approx   9-10 cm long   (3.5 - 4 inches)