Have you ever wondered how awe-inspiring seashells are formed?

Have you ever wondered how those colorful, interestingly shaped shells that touch our feet while walking by the sea, that we pull out when we dive into the water, that adorn our tables, are formed? If you say, "Yes, I sometimes question this too." then we will dive into the mysterious world of these small works of art that we encounter on the shores of the sea.

Molluscs like snails and clams create their own protective shields. And these shields are shells as we know them. These creatures slowly build their shells using calcium carbonate. The shape, pattern and color of a shell varies according to the species, the environment it lives in and its feeding habits. This diversity makes the world of shells incredibly rich and interesting.

If you want to know how many years a shell has lived, you can count the most obvious lines on the shell. But there is one that you will have to count for days when you come across it. While some only live for a few years, ocean quahogs in the North Atlantic can live for centuries. The Hafrún shell, which means "mystery of the ocean", lived for 507 years, earning it the title of "one of the longest-lived animals".

Especially long-lived shells provide scientists with information on many subjects. These creatures, which are a storehouse of information about the changing oceans, contain details ranging from the past temperature and acidity of seawater to when hurricanes occurred and when volcanoes erupted. The colors and patterns on seashells are not just a matter of natural beauty. They are also the result of a complex biological process. The colors of shells often change depending on the food they eat and the environmental conditions they live in. From time to time, colors are an important detail in functions such as providing camouflage, attracting mates or deterring predators. Shells in shades of red and pink are usually caused by pigments produced by certain types of algae that the creatures feed on. Blue and green colors are rarer and are usually due to the special properties of the reflected light.