Cypraeidae

/ˌsɪpriːˈeɪdiː/ noun

Definition

The family of marine gastropod mollusks that includes all cowrie shells and closely related species.

Etymology

From the genus Cypraea plus the Latin taxonomic suffix '-idae' meaning family. Named for their primary genus based on their shared characteristics.

Kelly Says

The cowrie family evolved such perfect shell architecture that they barely changed for 100 million years—making them 'living fossils' that show evolution occasionally gets a design absolutely right the first time!

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