SHELL OF THE MONTH – JULY 2015

Cypraea caputserpentis Linne, 1758 – Snake-Head Cowrie. This is one of the commonest yet most beautiful of the Cypraea. It also has the distinction of not varying in its pattern like many other Cowries.
Cypraea helvola Linne, 1758 – The Honey Cowrie. Another common Cowrie, but one that never fails to impress.
Cypraea moneta Linne, 1758 – The Money Cowrie. This is one of the most variable of the genus, even within one location. And, as its name implies, it has been used in many countries as a monetary unit
Cypraea annulus Linne, 1758 – The Gold- Ringer Cowrie. Although this Cypraea can vary in form the gold “ring” is a consistent feature.
Now, you may ask why we have so many Cowries this month….it’s simple. They are all self-collected and donated by our President, Sonny Ogden. In 1967 when she was stationed with her husband at the Navy Base on Kwajalein Island in the Pacific, she collected these from the lagoon in about 20 – 30 feet of water on a rubble bottom. So you see, these are “no ordinary Cowries”!