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Venus comb murex. Scientists speculate that the distinctively long and narrow spines are a protection against fish and other mollusks and prevent the mollusk from sinking into the soft, sandy mud where it is commonly found.
Image ID: 12970
Species: Venus comb murex, Murex pecten | Glory of the Sea cone shell, brown form. The Glory of the Sea cone shell, once one of the rarest and most sought after of all seashells, remains the most famous and one of the most desireable shells for modern collectors.
Image ID: 08732
Species: Glory of the Seas Cone, Conus gloriamaris | A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21612
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA |
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A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21609
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21622
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21640
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA |
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A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21652
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21660
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21661
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA |
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A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs.
Image ID: 21662
Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | Venus comb murex. Scientists speculate that the distinctively long and narrow spines are a protection against fish and other mollusks and prevent the mollusk from sinking into the soft, sandy mud where it is commonly found.
Image ID: 12971
Species: Venus comb murex, Murex pecten | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12972
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus |
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Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12973
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12974
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12975
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus |
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Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12976
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12977
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12978
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus |
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Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12979
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Thorny oyster or spiny oyster.
Image ID: 12980
Species: Thorny oyster, Spondylus | Hermit crab. Hermit crabs wear shells to protect their soft abdomens, which are asymmetrical and curved to fit the spiral shape of their shell. Like all crabs, hermit crabs are decapods; they have five pairs of legs, including a pair of claws. One claw is much larger than the other, the hermit crab uses it for defense and food shredding while it uses the smaller claw for eating. The second and third pairs of legs help the crab walk, and the last two pairs hold the hermit crab in its shell.
Image ID: 13693
Species: Hermit crab, Pagurus |
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Box turtle. Box turtles are famous for their hinged shells, which allow them to retract almost completely into their bony armor.
Image ID: 13987
Species: Box turtle, Terrapene | Box turtle. Box turtles are famous for their hinged shells, which allow them to retract almost completely into their bony armor.
Image ID: 13988
Species: Box turtle, Terrapene | Tulip Cone.
Image ID: 07954
Species: Tulip Cone, Conus tulipa |
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Tulip Cone.
Image ID: 07955
Species: Tulip Cone, Conus tulipa | Tulip Cone.
Image ID: 07956
Species: Tulip Cone, Conus tulipa | Mustellina Olive.
Image ID: 07957
Species: Mustellina Olive, Oliva mustellina |
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Mustellina Olive.
Image ID: 07958
Species: Mustellina Olive, Oliva mustellina | Oliva lignaria fordi.
Image ID: 07959
Species: Oliva lignaria fordi | Oliva lignaria fordi.
Image ID: 07960
Species: Oliva lignaria fordi |
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