Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Family: Cypraeidae
Genus: Lyncina
Species: L. aurantium
Scientific Name:
Lyncina aurantium
The Golden Cowrie (Lyncina aurantium) is not a commonly found shell. This species of sea snail is usually found in the tropic waters of western and southern waters of the south Pacific. This snail's habitat is in the corals and reefs on the ocean side of islands where it hides during the day at depths between 30' to 100" and only comes out at night to feed.
The shell of the Golden Cowrie is a beautiful butterscotch color that ranges from yellowish brown to reddish orange on the dorsum (top). Underneath the color changes to a creamy yellowish white to white. The Golden Cowrie is also large as cowries go, measuring in at 80 to 100 mm long.
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| The Golden Cowrie - Lyncina aurantium |
For eons the Golden Cowrie was a symbol of rank and privilege for the chieftains in the Fiji Islands where the shell was called a "bulikula" and they would drill holes in the end to run a string through and wear as a necklace.
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