es o

ustra ia TEACHER'S NOTES (including slide identification list)

. NORTHERN TERRITORY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

SHELLS OF NORTHERN AUSTRALIA

by Les Perkins

This is a production of

THE MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT UNIT I

Northern Territory Department of Education

Contents of Kit 24 colour slides

Teachers' notes (including slide identification list) Book "Marine Shells of the Darwin Area"

by Helen Blackburn

Acknowledgements Photographs, No. 2 - 20, Les Parkins

Advice, Gwen and Peter Pini

Date of Production January 1980

This kit is intended for use at all school levels. Teachers should feel free to use the elements of the kit in any manner they find suitable. ~- ~

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1.

TEACHERS ' NOTES

1. SHELL COLLECTING

Collecting shells is not just a matter of picking up

every shell in sight, but a matter of selecting

specimens to complete a collection. There is no point

in collecting imperfect or broken live shells as they

have no ~ value at all, and if left alone, may breed

hundreds of perfect specimens. To be a true conser­

vationist it is best to collect dead shells without

the animal body inside.

When collecting shells be a Harry Butler, leave the

area as you found it by returning all dislodged rocks

or coral to their original positions.

2. METHODS OF COLLECTING SHELLS

There are three main methods of collecting shells;

littoral collecting, sublittoral collecting and

benthic collecting.

(A) Littoral Collecting

Perhaps the best time to collect shells on

most beaches, rocky shelves, coral reefs

or mud flats is at low tide. At this time

many varieties of shells may be found

under rocks, under coral heads, in kelp and

seaweed, in the sand and mud and in and

under mangrove trunks and roots. When

collecting shells it is advisable to wear

sandshoes or sneekers, gloves, and carry a

bucket, knife, tweezers, torch and a solid

stick or pole for turning rocks.

(B) Sublittoral Collecting

This term means collecting shells while

immersed in water. There are several ways

of doing this.

(i) Wading

Begining from just below low-tide the

collector can wade out into knee-deep

water, reach down and pick up many

3.

fine specimens. A handy piece of

equipment when looking for shells in this

manner is a "look-box" which is usually a

glass bottomed plastic bucket.

(ii) Other methods of sublittoral collecting

are by hand dredging, snorkel diving and

scuba diving.

(C) Benthic Collecting

This is the term used when collecting shells in

deep water. This can be done by trawling,

dredging, using bottom grabs and traps,

including crayfish pots.

3. CLEANING OF SHELLS

Al though it is best to collect dead. shells many collec­

tors find specimens of live shells~ To add these

shells to your collection the live animal must be

removed and the shell thoroughly cleaned. Do not

leave shells in fresh water or sea water for any length

of time as they will become dull and colourless.

4.

There are a large number of ways to clean shell s but

the following are the easiest and cleanest techniques.

(A) Freezing Technique

This method .depends on the availability of a

freezer or whether your parents share the

same enthusiasm for a lot of smelly shells.

Make sure the shells are dry, then pack them

in containers wrapped in cotton wool or

tissues and place in the freezer for about a

week. As the animal freezes it shrinks so

when it is removed from the freezer it can

easily be removed with a suitable tool, e.g.

tweezers, knife, piece of wire and safety pin.

Wash out the shell thoroughly with cold

running water.

(B) Alcohol Technique

Small shells, those of twenty-five milli­

metres or less,can be fairly easily removed

by soaking in methylated spirits or alcohol

for several days. Again thoroughly wash out

the shell with cold running water.

5.

(C) Burying Technique

This idea has long been used by native

peoples as a method to clean shells for

sale in the markets . It is also used by

many collectors. A hole about a metre

deep is dug in the sand and the shells

buried for at least a fortnight. When dug

up place in a plastic bucket then wash

thoroughly in warm water and disinfectant

as these shells will have an extremely

foul odour.

(D) Scavenger Technique

If a collector is lucky enough to live by

the sea then dead shells can be lowered in

a wire cage into the sea and in a matter

of days the flesh will be removed by

natural · scavengers. DON'T use rusty wire

as this may mark the shells.

4. STORAGE OF SHELLS

As a collection is slowly built up it is most

6.

important that they should be arranged and housed

interestingly and effectively. We can group

shells in their major classes or by the location

in which they were found. Shells are best

displayed in glass-topped cabinets but these

are fairly costly so generally old shirt boxes

are a good substitute. All shells regardless of

arrangement must be clearly labelled stating

common names and if possible where they are

located.

MORE INFORMATION

Suitablility - P - Primary

Books

LS- Lower Secondary

G - General

1. Australian Shells, B. Wilson and K . . Gillet, A.H.

and A.W. Reed, Sydney, 1971. G.

2. Shells of New Guinea and the Central Indo-Pacific,

A. Hinton, Jacaranda Press, Brisbane, 1972. G.

3. .The Australian Great Barrier Reef in Colour_, K.

Gillet, A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney, 1968. P.S.L.

7 · ~

4. What Shell is That? N. Coleman, Hamlyn, Sydeny,

1975. G.

5. fihell Collecting in Australia~ N. Coleman, A.H.&

A.W. Reed, Sydney, 1976. P.S.L.

6 .. 1.Seashells of Australia• Walter Deas, Rigby Limited,

Sydney, 1971. P.S.L.

7. Seashells of the World, R. Tucker Abbott, Golden ., -Press, New York, 1962. P.S.L.

VideoTape

VT 170 "Playground: At the Seaside", 15 mins. B. & W.

Junior Primary. This programme follows on film a child

collecting shells at the beach; includes classifica~

ti on, safety.

Available from Educational Technology Centre,

Education Department, South Australia.

Pi .cture Sets

1. Australian Marine Animals Science Pictures,

Jacaranda Wiley Ltd., 1968.

2. The Great Barrier Reef, World Book Encyclopedia,

Sydney, 1975.

_Excursions

1. Marine Museum, Darwin

2. · Local beaches

-3. Museums

8.

SHELL SLIDE IDENTIFICATION LIST

Slide No.

1. Title Slide - "Shells of Northern Australia"

2. Hump-back Cowry - 8 cm (cypraearnauritiana)

3. Tortoise Cowry - 10 cm (cypraea festudinaria)

4. Tiger Cowry - 6-7 cm (cypraea tigris)

5. Mole Cowry - 6-7 cm (cypraea talpa)

6. Eyed Cowry - 8 cm (cypraea argus)

7. Orange Branded Cowry - 6 cm (cypraea-carncola)

8. Arabian Cowry - 6 cm (cypraea arabica)

9. Tapestry Turban 8 cm (turbo petholatus)

10. Elegance Olive - 6 cm (oliva retriculata)

11. Eroded Cowry - 4 cm (cypraea erosa)

12. Textile Cone - 6-8 cm (conus textile)

13. Left Jester Cowry - 3-4 cm (cypraea scur~o)

··· Right Lynx Cowry - 3-5 cm (cypraea lynx)

9.

14. Subulate Auger 10-12 cm (terebra subulata)

15. Left Harp Shell - (harpa harpa)

Right Bonnet Shell (casmaria ponderosa)

16. Spider Shell - 10 cm (lambis lambis)

17. Tulip Cone (conus tulipa)

18. Orange-spotted Mitre - 8 cm (mitra mitra)

19. Left Miter Shell - 8 cm (mitra cardinalis)

Right Miter Shell 7-8 cm (mitra species)

20. Spider Conch - 12-14 cm. (lamis chiragro)

21. Conus monachus - 5 cm

22. Murex bednalli - 5 cm (Bednall's murex)

23. Murex cornucervi - 10 cm

24. Credit slide

s Q/

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