One Chelycypraea Testudinaria shell, measuring 4 to 5 inches *****

One Chelycypraea Testudinaria shell, measuring 4 to 5 inches.

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Chelycypraea testudinaria

Chelycypraea testudinaria, the common name is tortoise cowry, they are a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries.

These are not a rare species.

Testudinaria cowries grow to an average of 3 1/2 to 4 inches in length, with a minimum size of about 3 inches and a maximum size of 5 1/2 inches.

They have variable patterns and color.

The shape is oval or sub-cylindrical, the dorsum surface is smooth and shiny, the basic color is whitish or yellowish and it is covered by very irregular dark brown patches and spots.

The margins are white or pale brown, with some large dark dots.

The base may be whitish, pale brown or pink, the aperture is long and narrow and the teeth are white, short and fine.

The living animal has a mantle of bluish-greyish and almost transparent, while the sensorial papillae are lighter and long.

The mantle and foot are well developed, while The lateral flaps of the mantle can completely hide the dorsum surface.

These cowries can be found across the Indo-Pacific region along Aldabra, Chagos, the Comores, Kenya, Madagascar, the Mascarene Basin, Mauritius, Mozambique, Réunion, the Seychelles, Zanzibar and Tanzania, Malaysia, Samar Island, Sulu Sea, Vietnam and the Philippines.

These species live on coral reefs, in crevices and beneath large rocks in shallow subtidal waters to depths of 16 to 49 feet.

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda

clade Hypsogastropoda

clade Littorinimorpha

Super family: Cypraeoidea

Family: Cypraeidae

Subfamily: Luriinae

Genus: Chelycypraea

Species: C. testudinaria

Binomial name: Chelycypraea Testudinaria