Sunday, November 1, 2009

She Sells Sea Shells

Well, actually, she's giving this set away:



What we have here are four brightly coloured sea critters etc commonly found in New Zealand waters. I've used saturated colours to give a bright, playful feel. Not that you'd want to play with some of these!

Paddle Crab: These grow up to 10 cm in width and are commonly found in New Zealand waters. Although they can pack a bit of a puncture, they are also something of a delicacy. They use their paddle-shaped rear limbs to swim through the water.

Ram's Horm Shell: This frequently found debri is actually the shell of a cephalapod. The original animal probably died far out to see and then the husk is washed in with the tide.

Kina: Live kina are a spiky, green-brown ball that stalks slowly across the ocean floor, using tube-feet positioned between the spikes. It munches on algae and adheres stuff to itself to aid in camouflage. These creatures can live 15 years! When they die, the spines rot away, leaving the green, slightly flat globe frequently found washed up on the shore.

Maurea (Beaded Top Shell): This Gastropod is one of a large family found in New Zealand. Although not particularly common, they can be found on low tidal rocks where they browse on algae and sponges.

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