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cowrie
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Cowrie (Cypraea)
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Cowrie (Cypraea)
Cowrie (Cypraea)

cowrie

marine snail
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Also known as: Cypraea
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cowrie, any of several marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) comprising the genus Cypraea, family Cypraeidae. The humped, thick shell is beautifully coloured (often speckled) and glossy; the apertural lips, which open into the first whorl in the shell, are inrolled and may be fine-toothed.

Cowries occur chiefly in coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The 10-centimetre (4-inch) golden cowrie (C. aurantium) was traditionally worn by royalty in Pacific Islands, and the money cowrie (C. moneta), a 2.5-centimetre (1-inch) yellow species, has served as currency in Africa and elsewhere.