| Whiz Kids: Activities for the young and young at heart! |
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What type of seashell did I find on the beach?
WHAT? Shells come in all shapes and sizes. Shells can be sorted into two basic types: univalves and bivalves.
HOW? Univalves are snail-like animals with only one shell. Bivalves are clam-like animals that have two shells hinged together like a book.
WHY?
Shells are made by animals called mollusks. Mollusks have no backbone and most form a shell on the outside of their body for protection. Shells you find on the beach are the remains of dead mollusks. The shell remains, but the soft-bodied animal that used to live inside it was eaten by a predator or died and rotted away.
YOU TRY IT!
Look at your shell. Does it have one or two parts? Sort your shells into univalves and bivalves.
Learn more about shells at the annual North Carolina Shell Show, September 26 and 27 at Cape Fear Museum.
Check out these other shell-themed sites:
Fun with seashells
Mad about shells
North Carolina Shell Club
All about oyster shell recycling
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