What determines the shape of abalone pearls ?
Abalones pearls found in nature vary greatly in shape and may be either hollow or solid. The shapes may be regular shapes such as round and oval, and irregular shapes known as baroques. Some of the common baroque shapes are the flat baroque, horn-like shape, tooth-shape etc. The shape of the pearl depends on the part of the body of the mollusk, in which the parasite lodges itself. If the parasite lodges in the stomach area of the mollusk, the pearls developed are normally round shaped. If it lodges in the columella region, the shape of the pearls produced is crescent-shaped, and if the parasite lodges in the gonads, horn-shaped or tooth-shaped pearls are formed, in conformity with its shape. Haliotis rufescens – the Red Abalone Classification of Haliotis rufescens Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Mollusca Class : Gastropoda Subclass : Prosobranchia Order : Archaeogastropoda Superfamily : Pleurotomariaceae Family : Haliotidae Genus : Haliotis Species : rufescens Interior of a Red Abalone Pho
