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Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural always cowries, is the common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
 for a group of small to large sea snail
Snail

The word snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled animal shells in the adult stage. When the word snail is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails....
s, marine
Ocean

An ocean is a major body of Seawater, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a World Ocean that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas....
 gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae

Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies....
. The word "cowry" is also often used to refer to the shell
Gastropod shell

The gastropod shell is a seashell which is part of the body of a Gastropoda or snail. It is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage....
s of these snails.

Many people find the very rounded, shiny, porcelain
Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and ....
-like shells of cowries pleasing to look at and to handle. Shells of certain species have historically been used as currency in several parts of the world, as well as being used, in the past and present, very extensively in jewelry, and for other decorative and ceremonial purposes.

It is worth noting that a few species in the family Ovulidae
Ovulidae

Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies....
 are also often referred to as cowries.






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Cowry, also sometimes spelled cowrie, plural always cowries, is the common name
Common name

A common name is a name in general use within a community . A common name is not necessarily a commonly used name.Many of the conventions and traditions described in this article are based on the English language, and thus may not apply to common names in other languages....
 for a group of small to large sea snail
Snail

The word snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled animal shells in the adult stage. When the word snail is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails....
s, marine
Ocean

An ocean is a major body of Seawater, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a World Ocean that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas....
 gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae
Cypraeidae

Cypraeidae, common name the cowries , is a taxonomic family of small to large sea snails. These are marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies....
. The word "cowry" is also often used to refer to the shell
Gastropod shell

The gastropod shell is a seashell which is part of the body of a Gastropoda or snail. It is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage....
s of these snails.

Many people find the very rounded, shiny, porcelain
Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and ....
-like shells of cowries pleasing to look at and to handle. Shells of certain species have historically been used as currency in several parts of the world, as well as being used, in the past and present, very extensively in jewelry, and for other decorative and ceremonial purposes.

It is worth noting that a few species in the family Ovulidae
Ovulidae

Ovulidae, common names the ovulids, cowry allies or false cowries, is a family of small to large predatory or parasitic sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Cypraeoidea, the cowries and cowry allies....
 are also often referred to as cowries. In the British Isles
British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
 the local Trivia
Trivia (genus)

Trivia is a genus of small sea snails, Marine gastropod molluscs in the family Triviidae, the trivias.These are known in Britain as "cowries"....
 species Triviidae
Triviidae

Triviidae is a taxonomic family of small sea snails, Marine gastropod molluscs in the infraorder Littorinimorpha, within the Order Sorbeoconcha....
 are sometimes called cowries. These other two families are somewhat closely related to the Cypraeidae.

Distribution

Cypraeidae are found in tropical and subtropical oceans and seas worldwide.

Shell description


Different Cowries


The shells of cowries are almost always smooth and shiny and more or less egg
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
-shaped, with a long, narrow, slit-like opening (aperture).

All cowry shells have a porcelain-like shine (except Hawaii's granulated cowry, Cypraea granulata) and many have colorful patterns. Lengths range from 5 mm
1 E-3 m

Image:Length one to ten scale.svg|110px|right|Click on the top for smaller lengths and on the bottom for larger lengthspoly 0 0 20 20 0 20 1 micrometre...
 (1/5") for some species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 up to 15 cm
1 E-1 m

Image:Length one to ten scale.svg|110px|right|Click on the top for smaller lengths and on the bottom for larger lengthspoly 0 0 20 20 0 20 1 centimetre...
 (6") for the tiger cowry, Cypraea tigris.

Human use

The shells of cowries (especially Cypraea moneta
Cypraea moneta

Cypraea moneta, commonly known as the money cowry, is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
) were used for centuries as a currency in Africa. Huge amounts of Maldivian cowries were introduced into Africa by western nations during the period of slave trade. The Ghanaian
Ghana

The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders C?te d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south....
 unit of currency known as the Ghanaian cedi
Ghanaian cedi

The cedi is the unit of currency of Ghana. One cedi is divided into one hundred pesewas. The present cedi was introduced on July 3, 2007, and was equal to 10,000 old cedi when redenomination saw four zeros lopped off the value....
 was named after cowry shells. Starting over three thousand years ago, cowry shells, or copies of the shells, were used as Chinese currency
Chinese currency

Currency has been used in China since the Neolithic. The Chinese also invented Banknote in the 9th century.Today the Renminbi , literally the People's currency, abbreviated to RMB, is the currency on the mainland China of the People's Republic of China....
. They were also used as means of exchange in India.

The Ojibway aboriginal people in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 used cowry shells (which they called sacred Megis Shells or whiteshell
Whiteshell

Whiteshells were used by aboriginal peoples around the world, but the words "whiteshell" and "Miigis Shell" specifically refers to shells used by Ojibway peoples in their Midewiwin ceremonies....
s) in Midewiwin
Midewiwin

The Midewiwin or the Grand Medicine Society is a secretive religion of the aboriginal groups of the Maritimes, New England and Great Lakes regions in North America....
 ceremonies, and the Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park

Whiteshell Provincial Park is a 2,729 km2 park centrally located in Canada in the province of Manitoba. It can be found in the southeast of the province along the Manitoba-Ontario border, approximately 130 km east of Winnipeg....
 in Manitoba
Manitoba

Manitoba is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 647,797 square kilometres and a population of 1,207,959 , with more than half located within the Winnipeg Capital Region ....
, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 is named after this type of shell. There is some debate about how the Ojibway traded for or found these shells, so far inland and so far north, very distant from the natural habitat. Oral stories and birch bark scrolls
Birch bark scrolls

Wiigwaasabak are birch bark scrolls, on which the Ojibwa people of North America wrote Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe "Hieroglyphics". When used specifically for Midewiwin ceremonial use, these scrolls are called mide-wiigwaas....
 seem to indicate that the shells were found in the ground, and/or washed up on the shores of lakes or rivers. Finding the cowry shells so far inland could indicate the previous use of them by an earlier tribe or group in the area, who may have obtained them through an extensive trade network in the ancient past. Petroforms in the Whiteshell Provincial Park
Whiteshell Provincial Park

Whiteshell Provincial Park is a 2,729 km2 park centrally located in Canada in the province of Manitoba. It can be found in the southeast of the province along the Manitoba-Ontario border, approximately 130 km east of Winnipeg....
 may be as old as 8,000 years. There are also questions about how long the shells were used in the area.

Cowry shells are also worn as jewelry or otherwise used as ornaments
Fashion

Fashion refers to the styles and customs prevalent at a given time. In its most common usage, "fashion" exemplifies the appearances of clothing, but the term encompasses more....
 or charm
Charm

Charm or charms may refer to:In paranormal magic:* "Lucky charms" such as amulets, Touch Pieces and Painted pebbles* Charm bracelet, an item of jewelry worn around the wrist that carries personal charms...
s they are viewed as symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
s of womanhood, fertility, birth and wealth. The symbolism of the cowry shell is associated with the appearance of its underside: the lengthwise opening makes the shell look like a vulva
Vulva

The vulva refers to the external sex organ of the female. In colloquial speech, the term vagina is often used to refer to the female genitals generally, although, strictly speaking, the vagina is a specific internal structure, whereas the vulva is the whole exterior genitalia....
 or an eye
Eye

Eyes are Organ that detect light, and send signals along the optic nerve to the visual system and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system....
.

Cowry shells are sometimes used in a way similar to dice
Dice

A die is a small polyhedron object, usually cubic, used for generating Statistical randomnesss or other symbols. This makes dice suitable as gambling devices, especially for craps or sic bo, or for use in non-gambling tabletop games....
, e.g., in board games like Pachisi
Pachisi

Not to be confused with ParcheesiPachisi is a Cross and circle game board game that originated in History of India; it is described as the national game of India....
, or in divination
Divination

Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a standardized process or ritual. Diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency....
 (cf. Ifá
IFA

IFA may refer to:...
 and the annual customs
The annual customs of Dahomey

Every year in the Kingdom of Dahomey, a huge festival in honor of the ancestors was organized called the annual "customs".In the customs, the king would assemble the entire court, foreign dignitaries, and the populace....
 of Dahomey
Dahomey

Dahomey was the name of a country in west Africa now called the Benin. The Kingdom of Dahomey was a powerful west African state founded in the seventeenth century which survived until 1894....
). A number of shells (6 or 7 in Pachisi) are thrown, with those landing aperture upwards indicating the actual number rolled.

On the Fiji Islands
Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu....
, a shell of the golden cowry or bulikula, Cypraea aurantium
Cypraea aurantium

Cypraea aurantium, commonly known as the golden cowry, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowry....
, was drilled at the ends and worn on a string around the neck by chieftans
Tribal chief

A traditional tribal chief is the leadership of a tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government.The notion of a "tribal chief" is rather vague and arbitrary; neither chief nor tribe is clearly defined, so in many cases other designations are used for the same institution, such as petty ruler or even headman ....
 as a badge of rank.

Large cowry shells such as that of Cypraea tigris
Cypraea tigris

Cypraea tigris, common name the tiger cowry, is a species of cowry, a large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
 have been used in Europe in the recent past as a frame over which sock heels were stretched for darning. The cowry's smooth surface allows the needle to be positioned under the cloth more easily.

Species

  • Cypraea achatidea
  • Cypraea acicularis
  • Cypraea aenigma
  • Cypraea albuginosa
  • Cypraea alexhuberti
  • Cypraea algoensis
  • Cypraea amphitales
  • Cypraea androyensis
  • Cypraea angelicae
  • Cypraea angioyorum
  • Cypraea angustata
  • Cypraea annettae
  • Cypraea annulus
  • Cypraea arabica
    Cypraea arabica

    Cypraea arabica, common name, the "Arabian cowry" is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea arabicula
  • Cypraea argus
  • Cypraea armeniaca
  • Cypraea artuffeli
  • Cypraea asellus
  • Cypraea aurantium
    Cypraea aurantium

    Cypraea aurantium, commonly known as the golden cowry, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowry....
  • Cypraea barbieri
  • Cypraea barclayi
  • Cypraea beckii
  • Cypraea bernardi
  • Cypraea bistrinotata
  • Cypraea boivinii
  • Cypraea boucheti
  • Cypraea bregeriana
    Cypraea bregeriana

    Cypraea bregeriana is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea brevidentata
  • Cypraea broderipii
  • Cypraea camelopardalis
  • Cypraea capensis
  • Cypraea capricornica
  • Cypraea caputdraconis
  • Cypraea caputserpentis
    Cypraea caputserpentis

    Cypraea caputserpentis, common name the Serpent's-head Cowry, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea carneola
  • Cypraea castanea
  • Cypraea catholicorum
  • Cypraea caurica
  • Cypraea cernica
  • Cypraea cervinetta
  • Cypraea cervus
  • Cypraea chiapponii
  • Cypraea childreni
  • Cypraea chinensis
    Cypraea chinensis

    Cypraea chinensis, common name the Chinese cowrie, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea cicercula
  • Cypraea cinerea
  • Cypraea citrina
  • Cypraea clandestina
  • Cypraea cohenae
  • Cypraea colligata
  • Cypraea coloba
  • Cypraea comptonii
  • Cypraea connelli
  • Cypraea contaminata
  • Cypraea controversa
  • Cypraea coronata
  • Cypraea coxeni
  • Cypraea cribraria
  • Cypraea cruickshanki
  • Cypraea cumingii
  • Cypraea cylindrica
  • Cypraea dayritiana
  • Cypraea decipiens
  • Cypraea declivis
  • Cypraea deforgesi
  • Cypraea depressa
  • Cypraea diauges
  • Cypraea dillwyni
  • Cypraea diluculum
  • Cypraea eburnea
  • Cypraea edentula
  • Cypraea eglantina
  • Cypraea eludens
  • Cypraea englerti
  • Cypraea erosa
    Cypraea erosa

    Cypraea erosa, common name the Gnawed Cowrie, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea errones
  • Cypraea erythraeensis
  • Cypraea esontropia
  • Cypraea exmouthensis
  • Cypraea exusta
  • Cypraea fallax
  • Cypraea felina
  • Cypraea fernadoi
  • Cypraea fimbriata
  • Cypraea friendii
    Cypraea friendii

    Cypraea friendii is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea fultoni
  • Cypraea fuscodentata
  • Cypraea fuscorubra
  • Cypraea gangranosa
  • Cypraea garciai
  • Cypraea gaskoini
  • Cypraea gilvella
  • Cypraea globulus
  • Cypraea goodalli
  • Cypraea gracilis
  • Cypraea granulata
  • Cypraea guttata
  • Cypraea hammondae
  • Cypraea hartsmithi
  • Cypraea helvola
  • Cypraea histrio
  • Cypraea isabella
  • Cypraea isabellamexicana
  • Cypraea kieneri
  • Cypraea leucodon
    Cypraea leucodon

    Cypraea leucodon, common name the white-toothed cowry, is a rare cowry, a species of sea snail, or marine gastropod mollusk which can be found from the Philippines and New Guinea to the Indian Ocean.The White-toothed Cowry was known from only two specimens until rather recently ....
  • Cypraea leviathan
    Cypraea leviathan

    Cypraea leviathan is a common cowry that inhabits rocky intertidal areas and caves at depths up to 8m. Three varieties are known:*Cypraea leviathan leviathan ....
  • Cypraea limacina
  • Cypraea lynx
  • Cypraea maculifera
  • Cypraea mappa
  • Cypraea mariae
    Cypraea mariae

    Cypraea mariae is a small species of cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk.The shell is small, less than 15 mm in length. The shell color is white, with golden-yellow dots....
  • Cypraea margarita
  • Cypraea mariae
    Cypraea mariae

    Cypraea mariae is a small species of cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk.The shell is small, less than 15 mm in length. The shell color is white, with golden-yellow dots....
  • Cypraea mauiensis
  • Cypraea mauritiana
    Cypraea mauritiana

    Cypraea mauritiana, or the humpback cowry, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea microdon
    Cypraea microdon

    Cypraea microdon is species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae.This species lives in the Indo-Pacific oceans....
  • Cypraea minoridens
    Cypraea minoridens

    Cypraea minoridens is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae.Its shell is white in color with orange-yellow dots, and it has a reddish-purple tip....
  • Cypraea moneta
    Cypraea moneta

    Cypraea moneta, commonly known as the money cowry, is a species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea mus
  • Cypraea nigropunctata
  • Cypraea nucleus
  • Cypraea ocellata
  • Cypraea onyx
  • Cypraea oweni
  • Cypraea pantherina
  • Cypraea picta
  • Cypraea poraria
  • Cypraea propinqua
  • Cypraea pulchra
  • Cypraea robertsi
  • Cypraea schilderorum
  • Cypraea spadicea
    Cypraea spadicea

    Cypraea spadicea, common name the chestnut cowrie, is a species of sea snail, a cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea spurca
  • Cypraea staphylaea
  • Cypraea stercoraria
  • Cypraea surinamensis
  • Cypraea talpa
    Cypraea talpa

    Cypraea talpa, common name the mole cowry, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea teres
  • Cypraea testudinaria
    Cypraea testudinaria

    Cypraea testudinaria, common name the turtle cowry, is a species of cowry, a sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea tessellata
  • Cypraea tigris
    Cypraea tigris

    Cypraea tigris, common name the tiger cowry, is a species of cowry, a large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries....
  • Cypraea ventricullis
  • Cypraea venusta
  • Cypraea vitellus
  • Cypraea vredenburgi
  • Cypraea walkeri
  • Cypraea xanthodon
  • Cypraea zebra
  • Cypraea ziczac
  • Cypraea zonaria


Media


Image:Cypraea caputserpentis.ogg|Live specimens of Cypraea helvola (seen first) & C. caputserpentis (last) Image:CYPisabella.ogg|Live Cypraea isabella (next to a C. sulcidentata)

See also

  • Shell-money
    Shell-money

    Shell money is a medium of exchange that was once common. It consisted either of whole sea shells or pieces of them which were worked into beads or artificially shaped....


External links