Hi folks,

Yesterday I decided to keep a few egg cases I found on Sea Oat Island (FL),
in the Gulf of Mexico...   first ones I've brought home.  :)     One is a
long string that I believe is probably Busycon sinistrum and the other is a
football sized and shaped clump of triangular cases... not sure about that
one yet.

They have me really curious...   how do the mollucs produce such large
cases??  I mean...  exactly how?  The sizes are amazing in comparison to
the size of the animal making them.   Is each case strung to the next after
it is "excreted" (?) or are they produced together in the string as
found?  Is one string the work of a single mollusc or several (they seem
too well organized for this).    They also appear to be (and logic says
they must be) very strong...  what are the cases made from?

I have more questions but will cut this short, having mercy on whomever
chooses to reply.  :)

Best regards to all and great shelling,
Nancy Smith
Boynton Beach, FL

webSmith of....
www.icshells.com
www.browardshellclub.org (coming soon)