Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 6 A Resource for Humanity 8 HOW A SHELL IS CREATED A Family Tree 600 Million Years Old 13 Questions of Kinship 18 THE MOLLUSK: ANATOMY OF A WINNER 28 In the Belly of a Marine Snail 30 FEEDING, REPRODUCTION, DEFENSE: THE VITAL FUNCTIONS Movement 32 Respiration 36 The Nervous System and Sensory Organs 37 Feeding 40 Reproduction 46 THE MOTHER-OF-PEARL FACTORY 54 WHERE SHELLS ARE FOUND Geography of Marine Mollusks 66 The Saltwater Realms 74 On Coastal Rocks 78 Descent into the Shadows 84 On and Under the Sand and Mud 88 The Coral Theater 92 Hidden in Underwater Meadows 99 The Mangrove Forests 104 From the High Sea 108 HOW TO COLLECT SHELLS 112 THE SHELLS OF THE SEA 118 INDEX 169

About the Author

Journalist Giorgio Gabbi is a passionate and experienced shell collector and member of the Italian Malacological Society. He has written for and been on staff at many magazines including "Genius," the monthly science magazine of which he was editorial director.