He Jing,

Clithon coronatus (Leach, 1815) is a small dark nerite with extremely long
spines.  In life these spines are flexible and bend backwards (in reference
to the snails direction of travel) in order to allow the snail to burrow
under rocks and bottom detritus.  If the shell is collected and dried out,
the way most of us encounter it, the spines are quite brittle with little
flexibility.  Part of the reason for this appears to be the structure of the
spine itself, it is mostly made up of periostracal material.  I know this is
a bit different from your frilly morum, but I believe it may be related.
Studies have shown periostracal material, or conchiolin, is a fibrous
insoluble protein that forms the organic basis or structure of the shell by
cementing together the calcium carbonate crystals (aragonite and calcite) as
well as forming the outer protective covering or periostracum.  The amount
of conchiolin in the mostly calcium matrix is very small, but it might vary
with more or less amounts in different areas and shell structures.  This
means it could conceivably be more prevalent in the morum frills and thus
account for a flexibility in life that disappears when the shell is dried.
I offer this as a possible theory, not a fact.

Tom Eichhorst

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
He Jing
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 6:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Do shells become more solid when they are dried ?


Hi

i have a experience. i collected many morum shells, the wrinkles on ther
surface were very fragile when they were taking out of sea, but they became
very solid after one month when they are cleaned and  dried.

i have the same expericnce when i collected some landsnails.

i don't have scientific instrument to test it . do shells become more solid
when they are dried?


He Jing

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