Natural pearls form when some kind of irritant, usually a small organism, makes its way into the shell of a mollusk like an oyster or a mussel. To protect itself from the invader, the mollusk ...

The mollusc collection is one of the largest in the Museum, with more than five million specimens. Our collection contains specimens belonging to the seven shell-bearing molluscan classes from across ...

Like oysters and mussels, clams are bivalves, a kind of mollusk that's encased in a shell made of two valves, or hinging parts. And that shell comes in all different sizes. There are small clams ...

When buying live molluscs, look for those with shells that are smooth and shiny. The shells of clams, cockles, mussels and oysters should be tightly shut or should shut immediately if you tap them ...

The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell. This creates a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encases the ...