Natural Curiosities At The Learnary
Over the years, we have been lucky enough to receive donations of beautiful, natural curiosities. These exist at The Learnary to spark curiosity and conversation about the beauty and wonder of the world around us.
In the Summer of 2023, Myriam got curious and began to identify some of these wonders. Here are a few of the smaller items.
We don't know what all of these treasures are. Do you? If you have seen something we have not identified, and you know what it is, please let us know!
Identification of Curious Natural Curiosities
- Brain coral
- Moon snail shell
- Calcium holdfast
- Marten mandible (jaw bone)
- Rock with orange inclusions
- Rusted washer
- Bull kelp hold fast (attaches the kelp to the sea floor)
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- Operculum (snail shell trapdoor)
- ?
- Sea snail shell
- Chiton plate
- Juvenile southern quahog shell
- Red coral
- ?
- Piddock shell
- ?
- ?
- Horse tooth (upper front incisor)
- Sea snail shell (broken)
- Kitten's paw shell
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- Smoothed piece of snail shell
- Coral
- Seal humerus (upper arm bone)
- Sea snail shell (possibly golden dovesnail)
- Worn Marginella shell (sea snail)
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral (red spots are holdfast marks)
- Cowrie shells (sea snails)
- Cowrie shells (sea snails)
- Coral
- Coral
- Spirorbis shell (polychaete worm)
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- Coral
- ?
- Large feline teeth (possibly mountain lion)
- Coral
- Coral
- ?
- Coral
- ?
- Mushroom coral
- ?
- Australian oyster
- Sea snail shells
- Bee hive snail shells
- Coral
- Coral
- Fossil ammonite
- Predatory sea snail shell
- Coral
- Red coral
- Green abalone shell
- Coral
- Sea urchin shells
- ?
- ?
- Balcis sea snail shells
- Opercula (snail shell trapdoors)
- Sea sponge
- ?
- Cone snail shell
- Red coral
- Spotted sea snail shell
- ?
- Coral
- Opercula (snail shell trapdoors)
- Cone snail shells
- Sea snail shell
- ?
- Spiral shell
- Operculum (snail shell trapdoor)
- Sand dollar
- ?
- Coral
- Rock with lichen
- Coral
- Evidence of unicorns (turritella fossil in rock)
- Sea star
- Stick
- Coral
- Scapula (shoulder blade)
- Rib
- Helmet conch shell
- Flat scallop shell
- Queen conch shell
- ?
- ?
200. Pine cone trio
201. Horns
202. Giant pine cone
203.
204. Quartz in stone
205. Pyrite
206. Sand dollar
207. White conch shell
208. Moon snail shell
209. Whale vertebra
210. Antlers
211. Giant clam shell
212. Crinoid stem fossils
213. Rock with calcareous tubes
214. ?
215. Large fossil sea urchin
216. Small fossil sea urchin
217. Quartz rock
218. ? (fossilized jaw bone)
219. Stone tools and chips