Cowrie

After the Arthropoda, Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals. Molluscs or mollusks are the group's members. Molluscs are estimated to number around 85,000 species. In this article, we have covered cowries meaning, cowrie types, habitat, cowrie uses. Let’s discuss the cowries meaning, Cowrie or cowry (plural cowries) is the popular name for a group of tiny to big sea snails that belong to the Cypraeidae family of marine gastropod mollusks. Because of their comparable appearance, porcelain is derived from the old Italian name for the cowrie shell (porcellana). Shells of particular species have long been used as payment in various parts of the world, as well as being utilised widely in jewellery and other decorative and ceremonial uses in the past and present.

The cowrie was the most common shell used as shell money all across the world. It was harvested in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India's Malabar coast, Borneo and other East Indian islands, and various portions of the African coast from Ras Hafun to Mozambique. Cowrie shell money played an essential role in African, South Asian, and East Asian trading networks.

Cowries are the common name for some species of the Ovulidae family. Local Trivia species (family Triviidae, species Trivia monacha and Trivia Arctica) are commonly referred to as cowries in the British Isles. The Ovulidae and Triviidae families are linked to the Cypraeidae family.

Types of Cowrie

Arabic Cowrie

The shell is oblong or roughly elliptical in shape. Dorsally, the spire is barely discernible. The aperture of the shell is quite thin and relatively lengthy, as it is in other Cypraeidae. The inner and outer lips are also embellished with a smattering of little teeth. The shell's dorsal side is always convex or curved, never depressed. The dorsal mantle groove (the line or area where the two mantle flaps meet when completely extended) contrasts with the shell's overall colour pattern, making it plainly visible. 

Both the posterior and anterior ends of the lateral edges are calloused. The shell's ventral side is usually flattened and occasionally somewhat concave. The shell surface is noticeably effulgent (shiny), as it is in the shells of most other Cypraeidae snails as if it has been purposefully polished. Dorsally, the colour ranges from cream to pale fawn, with brown undertones. The ventral side of the shell is cream to grey in hue. The labral teeth are reddish-brown on the outside and white on the inside as they approach the columella. The common name Arabian cowry refers to a dense and uneven pattern of thin longitudinal brown lines that are occasionally interrupted by empty spaces, giving it an appearance akin to Arabic calligraphy. Cypraea arabica is found across the Indo-West Pacific. This sea snail lives in tunnels on the fringes of coral reefs, as well as under boulders and stones. It can be found in shallow sublittoral depths to low intertidal zones. The nocturnal period is when Cypraea arabica is most active.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Tiger Cowrie

The scientific name for this plant is Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, and it belongs to the Cypraeidae family. It's a big, heavy shell with a concave or flat base. The teeth on the outside of the mouth are broad and short, while the teeth on the inside are thin and long. The four bottom teeth, which are bigger and shorter, are the exceptions. The colour pattern is in two layers and is set against a white background. The base layer is bluish-grey, with a reddish to the dark brown surface layer. These patterns feature a lot of dots and blobs on both layers. The upper layer's spots are frequently surrounded by a yellowish-orange colour. On rare occasions, an all-black shell has been discovered. Gastropods (mollusks that form a single shell) are a frequent type of shell in the Indo-Pacific area. These are nocturnal animals. During the day, they stay hidden in the coral reefs but come out at night to feed on algae.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Egg Cowrie

Gastropods include the Egg Cowrie. The term gastropod refers to a mollusk with a stomach, tentacles, and eyes, as well as a foot and a one-piece shell. These are larger egg-shaped shells than many actual cowries. The shell is glossy and smooth. It has a thicker outer lip with an unevenly toothed inner edge and a puckered inner edge. On the outside, they are invariably white, with a chocolate-brown aperture. Egg cowries have long been used as a form of personal ornamentation, with ancient South Pacific mariners using them to decorate vessels.

Habitat: Egg Cowries love spongy soft body coral, which can be found in abundance from the East African coast to Southern Japan, and south to Australia and New Zealand's northern coastlines.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Tiger Cowrie Purple Top

The Tiger Cowry (Cypraea Tigris) is a species of Cypraea Tigris. It feeds on coral reef polyps. It's most common under coral rocks in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as near Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Because of the animal's covering, called a mantle, which wraps around the entire shell, the exterior of the shell is smooth and polished. Cowry shells are seen as a symbol of fertility in some cultures and are frequently given to a bride as a gift to ensure fertility. The outside shell is brown and black spotted, like a tiger's, but the purple is hidden beneath the surface. They are dipped in an acidic mixture to achieve the purple colour of the shell. Due to the uniform hue behind the patterned shell, tiger cowries are also utilised in carvings such as cameos.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Deer Cowrie

The Deer Cowry has a firm, ovate or elliptical shell with a rough edge and a slightly convex base. It has robust teeth rather than long ones. The Deer Cowry shell may be found primarily in the Tropical Indo-Pacific region. A region that stretches from the east coast of Africa to the northern Australian/New Zealand border. Deer Cowries prefer to hide under coral slabs during the day and come out at night to feed on algae. The shell is a creamy brown tint with vast bands of darker brown and porcelain-like specks layered on top. The teeth and base are white with a tinge of beige, and the edge has faded stripes.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Wart Cowrie Shell

The Wart Cowrie Shell is found in the Indo-Pacific Tropical region, primarily near and around reefs in the Indonesian Islands. They're popular among collectors, crafters, and tank decorators. The shell is a creamy white colour with purple tints at each end. This species, like other cowry shells, loves to be active at night.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Lynx Cowrie Shell

The Lynx Cowrie is a light-colored creature with brown patches on its back. It has a flat base with coarse, powerful apertural teeth that are orange in hue. They can be found from northern Australia to the Indo-West Pacific. The Lynx Cowrie can be found under rocks or coral in intertidal and shallow subtidal regions.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Snake Head Cowrie

The scientific name is Cypraea Caputserpentis. The Indo-Pacific region stretches from the east African coast to the shores of Hawaii. Leho-Kupa is the Hawaiian word for it. In the Hawaiian island chain, it is the most frequent species. The Snake Head Cowrie, like other species of its genus, loves to be active at night. It can be found under a loose rock, along shorelines, and in cracks in seawalls. The file-like radula of some has been discovered feeding on algae or seaweed. Snake Heads are rarely found in depths more than ten feet.

The Snake Head Cowrie has an elevated central region and is oval in shape. It has a brown top with white dots. Along the top of the shell, a white line known as the mantle line runs from front to rear. The shell's base is a dark brown colour. A gleaming mantpictule covers the shell. The mantle is olive-brown with irregular yellow, green, or white spots or specks, and it's covered in frilly, branching extensions called papillae.

Cowries, like the majority of snails, have a well-developed head with eyes, tentacles, and a mouth; a large muscular foot for crawling; and a soft body mass (containing the internal organs) protected by their shell.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Ring Top Cowrie

Top of the ring Cowries can be found throughout the Indo-Pacific area. Ringtops, like other cowry shells, are unique in their patterning and have been utilised by islanders for thousands of years for various forms of decorations and rituals.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Money Cowrie

Cyprea Moneta is the scientific name for this plant. They can be found in shallow to somewhat deep water. The Money Cowrie has a triangular shape with thick edges and a bumpy back. The colour of this cowry shell varies from white to deep yellow. The Money Cowry can be found all around the Indo-Pacific. From the East African coast to the northern Australian/New Zealand coasts, this region encompasses. When tonnes of shells were shipped to Africa and used as currency, the Cyprea Moneta was born. In some parts of Africa, they are still in use. One English penny is equal to 100 shells.

(image will be uploaded soon)

White Cowrie

The Indo-Pacific area is home to the White Cowrie. It's a shallow-water fish that lives among reefs and rocky shorelines.

(image will be uploaded soon)

Morphological Characteristics of Cowrie 

• Cowrie shells are normally smooth and lustrous, with an egg-shaped form. 

• The Dorsal Face is the spherical side of the shell, while the Ventral Face is the flat bottom, which has a long, thin slit-like opening (aperture) that is typically serrated at the edges. 

• The front end of the egg-shaped cowrie shell is narrower than the posterior end, while the posterior end is wider. In most species, the spire of the shell is not apparent in adults, but it is noticeable in juveniles, which have a different shape than adults.

• With the exception of Hawaii's granulated cowrie, Nucleolaria granulata, nearly all other cowries exhibit a porcelain-like sheen. 

• Many of them have vibrant patterns. The Atlantic deer cowrie, Macrocypraea Cervus, has a length that ranges from 5 mm to 19 cm.

What Were Cowries Used For?

Monetary use

Native Africans have used cowrie shells, particularly Monetaria moneta, as cash for millennia. However, after the 1500s, it became even more widespread. Maldivian cowries were imported to Africa in large numbers by Western nations, primarily through the slave trade. Cowrie shells inspired the name of the Ghanaian cedi. Cowrie shells, or reproductions of the shells, have been used as Chinese currency since nearly three thousand years ago. In India, they were also employed as a medium of exchange.

A stylised depiction of a Maldivian cowrie shell inspired the Classical Chinese character for money. This is frequently a radical in words and characters that deal with money, property, or wealth. Before the Spring and Autumn periods, the cowrie was a form of trade token that granted a worthy vassal access to a feudal lord's riches.

Ritual Use

Cowrie shells, also known as sacred Miigis Shells or white shells, are used in Midewiwin ceremonies by the Ojibwe people of North America, and the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada, is named after this type of shell. There is still controversy about how the Ojibway obtained or bargained for these shells, which were located so far inland and north, far from their normal home. The shells were found in the ground or washed up on the banks of lakes and rivers, according to oral legends and birch bark scrolls. The discovery of cowrie shells so far inland would imply that they were once used by a local tribe or clan, who may have received them through an ancient trade network.

Cowrie shells (called bzios) are also used to consult the Orixás divinities and hear their responses in Brazil, as a result of the Atlantic slave trade from Africa. The Kaniyar Panicker astrologers of Kerala, India, employed cowrie shells among their divination tools. Cowries were cherished charms in some parts of Africa, and they were supposed to be related to fecundity, sexual pleasure, and good luck.

Use in Jewelry

Chieftains on the Fiji Islands used a golden cowrie or bulikula, Cypraea Aurantium, shell pierced at the ends and strung around their necks as a sign of rank. Cowrie and other shells are used by Tuvaluan women in traditional handicrafts.

Games and Gambling

Cowrie shells are occasionally used in board games such as Pachisi and Ashta Chamma, or in divination (see Ifá and the annual rituals of Dahomey of Benin). A number of shells are thrown (6 or 7 in Pachisi), with the landing apertures pointing upwards to indicate the actual number rolled.

Cowries are utilised in a gambling game in Nepal, where four separate bettors toss 16 pieces of cowries (and sub-bettors under them). During the Hindu holiday of Tihar or Deepawali, this game is commonly played at home and in public. These shells are also honoured as a symbol of Goddess Lakshmi and wealth during the same festival.

Other

Large cowrie shells, such as those from a Cypraea tigris, have recently been utilised in Europe as a darning egg for stretching sock heels. The smooth surface of the cowrie makes it easier to position the needle under the material.

Small cowry shells were employed as a teaching aid in infant schools in the 1940s and 1950s, for counting, adding, and subtracting.

Did You Know

• In Singapore, this species is on the verge of extinction.

• The dorsum of a cowry shell can be broken by some tropical crustaceans.

• Conus textile, a mollusk-eating cone, can inject poison into the cowry's flesh. The cone then inserts its stomach inside the shell through the slit and consumes the meat altogether.