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Date: | Sat, 5 Sep 1998 23:44:04 EDT |
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The shell bug bit me when I was 13. My parents took my sister and I on a
vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama. Early in the week while walking the beach I
found Coquinas (Donax variabilis) burrowing in the sand. I was fascinated by
the colors. A little further down the beach I found a crabbed King's Crown
(Melongena corona form johnstonei). I was totally enthralled. The next day,
my dad and I found while snorkeling live Lettered Olives (Oliva sayana) and
Augers (Terebra cinerea). That same week my parents bought me a copy of
Seashells of the World by R. Tucker Abbott. Originally I just wanted to be a
marine biologist. I just loved the sea and everything in it. While attending
a summer high school class at Dauphin Island Sea Lab I chose for my class
project to survey the mollusks found in the vicinity of Dauphin Island. That
summer I collected 50+ species. Now 25 years later I find myself fortunate to
be paid for something that I consider play. I collect worldwide specimens
from marine, freshwater, terrestrial, fossil and archaeological origins. I am
especially focused on mollusks of Alabama (marine=550+species, freshwater=ca.
500 species, terrestrial=150 species, fossil=?species - Andy help here, how
many fossil species are known from our state). My collection is now the
research collection for my company and numbers at 10,000+ lots and is growing
faster than I can curate it.
Doug Shelton
Alabama Malacological Research Center
2370-G Hillcrest Road #236
Mobile, Alabama 36695 U.S.A.
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