Day 2- a collection of shells!

By Maddy, photographs by Penny, my cousin!

Heyo, earthlings! Today is a busy day, so I won't be writing much. Instead, I'll show you a photo collage of the shells and other things my cousins and I found on the beach!

Remember, be mindful about taking home shells. They're super pretty, but they're also really important to the ecosystems on the beach! Fish hide in shells, hermit crabs live in them, octopuses camouflage in them, and more. Be sure to check the rules of your beach because in the UK, it's illegal to take anything from the shore! If you do want to collect shells, only pick up empty shells and just take a couple. Thank you all!

I don't know what kind of shell this is (email me if you know!) but it had a 3 dimensional spiral shape and was hollow!

My cousin taught me that this is cuttlebone. It was brittle and had a crunchy feel! I carved 'hi' into it with a shell.

These look like seagull tracks. I thought it was cool that they made the shape of a triangle!

This is a plant living inside of a rock! I think that it probably attaches to the rock so it doesn't get blown or washed away by the wind. It inspired me that it was able to live like this though.

These are some super tiny shells. I wonder what could live in it!

I always wondered why some shells had these holes in them. After some research, I found out that snails called whelks eat the mollusks living in the shell.

My cousin says that this seagull is a teenager because of its dark grey feathers!

Some cute seagulls...

Did you know? Mollusks are born with the center of their shell, which is the oldest part. They grow the rest later in their life.

Sources!

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2023/02/what-causes-these-holes-in-seashells/#:~:text=To%20get%20to%20the%20tasty,motion%20to%20bore%20a%20hole.

https://scientificamerican.com/article/how-are-seashells-created/

https://sciencemadefun.net/blog/kids-ask-how-are-seashells-made/

Photos taken by me and my cousin

some info from interviewing cousins and family!