LORI DUNN SCRATCHBOARD ART
promoting conservation through artistic efforts
Beyond The Sea
5 x 5
AVAILABLE
I love design and patterns in nature and shells are a perfect example. Whelks are predatory sea snails that can live up to 40 years. The shell is a single structure that grows with the animal. Some species of whelks have a shell with a knobbed structure and some don't. It's thought that the knobs are a defensive tactic to make the shell more difficult to break by predators. Shells of all kinds are desired trinkets for folks to collect on beaches, however, the cumulative effect of millions of people collecting shells has been ecologically damaging. Empty shells provide habitat and shelter for many other land and sea organisms. They are also an integral part of the nutrient cycle as the calcium carbonate breaks down it provides critical minerals for corals, oysters etc. Rather than collecting shells, consider taking a beautiful photo of it intact on the beach instead.
