From America American cowry shells razor, the elongated shells that many people know as razors, lif

"I found the shell on June 1, 2013 on the beach at De Koog" Ine Klomp starts from Apeldoorn her story to Ecomare. "A little bit open and totally cowry shells cool. I took him in a pack of handkerchiefs. Then completely forgotten until months later that I pack opened handkerchiefs. I rinsed cowry shells the shell clean, well inside, and .... What a surprise, a gem! Wow ... very huh? "She is with the shell to the Muzee, the shell museum in Scheveningen, gone. They had never seen a pearl in an American sword scabbard ... ..and we are not at Ecomare!
From America American cowry shells razor, the elongated shells that many people know as razors, life for more than 25 years flocking to the Dutch coast. They are originally from the North American Atlantic coasts. The larvae of this shellfish his late 70s ended with the ballast water of ships in Hamburg. From there it spread rapidly to the razor Netherlands. In 1984 the first American sword scabbard was found on the beach of Texel. Now this species from France to Denmark. American razor life in our country, especially in the deeper channels cowry shells on the flats and just behind the surf on the North Sea coast.
Grain of sand Pearls occur in all sorts of shells, when accidentally a grain of sand or something else that should not be there in the mantle of the animal enters. Such a strange object irritates. To protect the shellfish builds a thin layer of nacre around it. As long as it remains annoying particle, are becoming more layers created around it.
Known bead makers in the Netherlands make the best chance to find pearls in freshwater mussels. These shellfish make them more often. Occasionally also pearls found in mussels cowry shells and oysters from the Wadden Sea and Zeeland. Mussel pearls are very small, but in oysters can be quite large. Last Christmas was a woman from Yerseke another double pearl in an oyster. Coincidentally, a villager found another cowry shells one that same evening. Nevertheless, it is unlikely to find a pearl in an oyster, one in 35,000 is said.
First time? Although the shells of the American razor so all a while to find on our beaches, we had never seen a pearl in this species. Possibly, this is the first finding in the Netherlands. We are therefore very curious if there might be more discoveries are known.
See also:> Past frost golden cowry shells time for beachcombers (26-2-2012)> Carrying capacity of the Wadden Sea under pressure? (31-7-2009)> Global Wadden leads to fewer shellfish (25-10-2014)> Philippine clam established definitively on our coast (1-9-2013)> Mollusk Fauna in the Dutch North Sea region changed significantly (29-5 -2013)> Nature Jutes after the storm (8-1-2013)> It is winter; Whelks reproduce today (7-12-2010)> Mushroom Cup takes residence on mammoth remains (24-11-2010)
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