N° 10 Pacific Settler

CHF 16.00

Seashells play an important role in religion and spirituality in many cultures. A class of marine mollusk surprises people by creating ‘sculptures’. Bivalve, or two-shelled mollusks living in the intertidal zone, bore into wood, shale, chalk, clay and even thick oyster shells. Piddocks have a specially adapted shell which varies in toughness depending on the substrate they prefer to burrow into. When the mollusks are young, they settle with their tiny shells inside rock crevices. Using the sharp ridges that are on the outer surface of the shell, the piddocks enlarge the hole to accommodate them as they grow. After a while, the bivalve remains trapped inside its stony home, as the entrance ends up smaller than its grown shell. It is amazing that these perfect holes were bored by living creatures. They are Nature’s incredible artisans.