Meet my Shell...

In Life Drawing, we have all been given a shell to draw, care for, nurture, and otherwise entertain for the remainder of the semester. My shell, "Shelly," is scientifically named fasciolaria tulipa, or in real people talk, the "true tulip." Although she is currently vacant, she often host residents, mainly carnivorously-natured snails. I found out she used to be from the North Carolina shores, although she commonly can be seen in off of Texas, Brazil, and the West Indies.
Now if you know anything about shells, you NEVER should ask them what they weigh. I was not shy, although nervous, to inquire as to her overall length. She is 4.5'' long, although many in her family have been known to reach up to 9.5 inches in length. Lines on the whorls of the shell are growth lines, which can also be seen of the edge of the parietal callus, or inner lip, of the shell's aperture. The smallest whorls at the tip form the apex. She has beautiful brown blotches covering the whorls, and when she goes out, she likes to wear pearls she borrows from her clam friends (shells known are for being vain and sometimes over-dramatic, although most of time, they just kind of hang out).

As you can see, Shelly is also a talented musician.