Eight-year-old Zora has delighted marine biologists and museum curators with her magical discovery. She identified her find as an “extremely, extremely rare” seashell sheltering a tiny creature at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG). On another school holiday, “show and shell” session, Zora discovered a shell never before seen by educational eyes. She found it when searching through shell grit removed from a slugging-sized chunk of giant kelp. Zora made a very important discovery that had been stored in a museum box for more than 50 years. She found it in under three minutes!
Zora’s discovery came on an Exploratorium Day for educators at TMAG. Joined by her mom and dad, she took part in fishy fun designed to inspire appreciation and protect ocean animals. The exquisite shell, a favorite of shell collectors, has drawn universal wonder with its unique sinistral (counterclockwise) coiling. This striking feature is what separates it from all other shell species.
A Remarkable Discovery
The one Zora found is truly special for both its rarity and what it represents. Dr Simon Grove, TMAG’s senior curator of invertebrate zoology, said he was amazed by the discovery.
“I was frankly astounded when Zora showed me a small top shell that she had just found amongst the grit,” – Dr. Simon Grove.
According to Dr. Grove, this species of sinistral top shell had only been formally described in 1863. It took its name from a particularly beautiful Victorian specimen. Even though it has been known for more than 150 years, very few of these shells have ever been reported in the scientific literature.
“It’s very, very rare and that’s what I was so astounded about: that Zora had stumbled across this beautiful little shell and there’s only probably fewer than 20 known to science all together,” – Dr. Grove.
Zora’s find contributes another important piece to the puzzle of marine biodiversity. Dr. Grove pointed to one curious exception to this oddity in the shell universe. Although nearly all shells coil dextrally, or right-handedly, some twist in the “wrong” direction.
Shell’s Journey to Recognition
Dr. Grove emphasized that the shell Zora found had a pretty interesting history. The sample was pulled from the bottom of Cloudy Bay in 1972. It was left in the museum’s collection until Zora’s recent find, which is a big ding-dang deal.
“I brought in a tray of shell grit, which came from a sample extracted from the holdfasts of giant kelp, back in Cloudy Bay in 1972, and it has been sitting in the museum holdings ever since,” – Dr. Grove.
This unexpected discovery brings to light the value of public engagement, particularly in natural history museums. These revered institutions continue to give people young and old the chance to get hands-on with their own scientific exploration and discovery.
Zora’s name will forever be associated with this groundbreaking discovery. Dr. Grove herself had recently just confirmed that her name would be included in the museum’s database. It will be featured on the carton label beside the shell.
“Her name will be entered into our database, and it will appear on the label,” – Dr. Grove.
Family Legacy and Support
Zora’s family has a wonderful tradition in the arts and sciences. Her grandfather, George Davis, is a fine artist obsessed with seashells. He is known as the father of award-winning actor Essie Davis, star of The Babadook and HBO’s The Gilded Age. This family support, I suspect, creates the kind of deep curiosity and passion for exploration that defines Zora.
Reflecting on her experience, Zora later described her discovery as being “in a triangle shape—and, it was like soft, like really small.” Her excitement is a great illustration of a child’s mind at work. It’s a great reminder of how important museums are in sparking the curiosity of the next generation of scientists and naturalists.
