Tiger Cowrie, Tiger Cowrie shell
name: label: Discipline
content: Invertebrate Zoology
label: Ocean/Sea/Gulf
content: Indian Ocean
label: Region
content: Indian Ocean Region
notes: label: Description
content: This object is part of the Education and Outreach collection, some of which are in the Q?rius science education center and available to see.
label: Notes
content: Cowrie (or cowry) is the common name for the family Cypraeidae, a group of sea snails. Cowrie shells have been used as currency, in jewelry making, and for decorative purposes in multiple cultures and across several continents. While other shells have also been utilized as currency, the cowrie has been the shell most frequently used for this purpose. Cypraea tigris (Tiger Cowrie), such as these specimens, have been used by humans for centuries. The larger shells were used in Europe for darning (similar to a darning egg), by stretching a sock's heel over the shell. This species is carnivorous; adult snails eat coral and other invertebrates.
label: Number of objects in this record
content: 4
label: Record Last Modified
content: 26 Oct 2023
place: label: Collecting Locality
content: Africa, Indian Ocean, Seychelles
topic: label: Topic
content: Education & Outreach
setName: label: See more items in
content: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center
publisher: label: Scientific Name
content: Cypraea tigris
identifier: label: USNM Number
content: EO30367
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Education and Outreach collections
taxonomicName: label: Taxonomy
content: Animalia, Mollusca, Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Littorinimorpha, Cypraeidae