A layer of defense and colors.

shell inner part 40X illuminator



Now I know what you're thinking: "what is this? How is anything about this a "defense"? It looks more like a cloudy foam covering or millions of grains!".

Now, they're guesses but are ultimately incorrect ones. This is actually a seashell seen through its interior side.

shell inner part 40X illuminator + zoom

Now what fascinates me is how mollusks create their shells through only calcium carbonate and protein. As seen in the pictures, the shell is shown having a large area, implying the mollusk wasn't young because the exoskeleton grows with its mollusk.

shell outside 40X illuminator

Even though the shell was already split (likely because a lucky octopus, starfish, or... human (me) happened to find the unlucky clam), I found it quite interesting how the sand from the ocean still stuck to the shell rather than eventually falling off of it.

shell outside 40X illuminator

One other fact I found about these shells is that the layers/structures the mollusks make are intentional! For instance, when there is fierce predation where the mollusk lives, the shells may be formed with ridges or may just have a greater layer of exoskeleton than those in areas where less predation exists.