47 — Xenophora neozelanica

Xenophora neozelanica, Sulphur Point dredge,
Tauranga Harbour 1973.

Xenophora neozelanica, Sulphur Point dredge,
Tauranga Harbour 1973.

Xenophora neozelanica, off Mayor Island,
Bay of Plenty, 1971.

Xenophora neozelanica, off Mayor Island,
Bay of Plenty, 1971.

Xenophora neozelanica, off Mayor Island,
Bay of Plenty, 1971.

Carriers shells are a really unusual kind of sea shell, since they pick up other pieces of shell, rock, coral or pretty much anything and stick it on their own shell. They come from the family Xenophoridae, which actually means 'foreign carrying'. They get up to about 60mm across the base and are often completely covered in living marine life.

There are species found around the world, but the one pictured here is the New Zealand carrier shell (Xenophora neozelanica Suter, 1908). They are found on the continental shelf down to nearly 200m, but only around the northern half of North Island. There is also a sub-species found at the Kermadec Islands. They're not a seashell that gets seen all that often, as they live a little too deep to be washed in by storms.

Often the material placed on the outside of the carrier shell is reflects its immediate environment; if they are around shelly material they will attach shells, if it's gravel, then they'll attach gravel. It is thought that carrier shells always place bivalve shells with the inside facing outwards to display that the bivalve is dead.

































More info:

http://www.deepseanews.com/2013/06/the-masters-of-bling-carrier-snails/

https://www.niwa.co.nz/blogs/critteroftheweek/164