Description

Cypraea
Other Mollusc
Pleistocene
Bairiki, Tarawa Atoll, Kiribati, Central Pacific, Tarawa

29mm complete cowrie.

Cypraea is a genus of cowrie, a predatory marine gastropod (sea snail).  It dates back to the Cretaceous and still lives today.  The species, C. erosa, is found in tropical shallow waters in intertidal reefs.

There are seashell collectors who specialize in cowries and some fossil shell collectors specialize in them as well.  Here is a specimen that still retains some of its original color.