FANTASTIC GIANT (RAMOSE) MUREX SEA SHELL BEAUTIFUL AND LARGE (20CM)

A FANTASTIC WHORL OF SPINES AND SHEER MASS MAKE THE GIANT MUREX A VERY IMPRESSIVE SEA SHELL TO HOLD.
SAVAGE MEAT EATER: The Murex Ramosus seashell is a thick, heavy, savage meat eater of a snail. The ramose murex shell mounts other seashells and drills into them to get at the meat. (clams, scallops and barnacles mostly) .
NOT RARE: Very common to the indo pacific. Murex Ramosus shells live in and near shallow water reefs and wrecks. THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED RARE BUT NOT COMMONLY FOUND.
SHAPE AND COLOUR: These white murex ramosus, or ramose murex have a wide mouth opening and frilly edges and are mostly white in color with touches of brown.  The columella (central pillar of the gastropod visible within the aperture (front opening of the shell) is pink.
HAS A DISTINCT TOOTH: THE OUTER LIP HAS SAWTOOTH EDGE AND TOWARD ITS LOWER END A MORE DISTINCT TOOTH.
WHAT IS IN A NAME: THE LATIN WORD MUREX WAS USED BY ARISTOTLE IN REFERENCE TO THESE KINDS OF SNAILS, THUS MAKING IT ONE OF THE OLDEST CLASSICAL SEASHELL NAMES STILL IN USE BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. MUREX MEANS IN LATIN THE MOLLUSK YIELDING A PURPLE DYE.
ANCIENT SURVIVOR: THIS GENUS IS KNOWN IN THE FOSSIL RECORDS FROM THE CRETACEOUS TO THE QUATERNARY (AGE RANGE: FROM 125.45 TO 0.0 MILLION YEARS AGO). FOSSILS OF SPECIES WITHIN THIS GENUS HAVE BEEN FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
HISTORICAL: This species of sea snail is important historically because its hypobranchial gland secretes a mucus that the ancient Canaanites/Phoenicians used as a distinctive purple-blue indigo dye. Most species exude a yellow fluid that, when exposed to sunlight, becomes a purple dye. The dye murex (Murex brandaris) of the Mediterranean was once a source of royal Tyrian purple.
EXSPENSIVE: IT TOOK 10,000 SNAILS TO MAKE A SINGLE PURPLE ROBE - IT WAS SO EXPENSIVE. WITH THE INDUSTRIALISATION OF FABRIC DYEING, DEMAND FOR NATURALLY PRODUCED DYES DIMINISHED. BUT THE MUREX'S PURPLE DYE REMAINS EXTREMELY VALUABLE, AND GERMAN DYE COMPANY KREMER PIGMENT MARKETS TYRIAN PURPLEFOR 2,500 ($2717) PER GRAM.
SIZE 20CM LONG 17CM WIDE 14CM HIGH
CONDITION: ONE SPINE HAS SOME DAMAGE. IN VERY GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS SIZE AND AGE.
ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED. I HAVE ANOTHER EVEN LARGER MUREX SHELL ON AUCTION THIS WEEK.