The beautiful seashells of the Ryukyu Islands.

It all started in 1989,  I went to a friend’s house and saw some beautiful seashells displayed on a counter-top.  My first thought was that they were fake or man-made. The intricate design of the Venus Comb Murex shell caught my eye.  I was fascinated by the design and wanted to learn more about the animal that produced this beautiful shell.

I continued to collect,  photograph and read more about marine mollusks from the Ryukyu Islands. I eventually started contributing my collection samples to worldwide museums, scientists, specialists and images for various scientific publications. I currently do not collect shells anymore but enjoy photographing the marine snails in their natural habitat.

General rules to shell collecting

• Be respectful of the environment.
• Only collect dead specimens
• Avoid over collecting sea-shells
• If you turn over rocks, place them back in the original position
• Return all unwanted shells back to the coastline

Below are some of my favorite shells found on Okinawa.

Avoid handling the venomous cone shells.  They are often found reef walking during low tide.

The trident trumpet is sought after for its beauty. This marine snail is one of the few natural predators of the crown of thorn starfish. This large snail also feeds on a variety of starfish as well.

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki, 2009) – Named for the collector of the type specimens, Shawn Miller of Nagahama, Okinawa, for his continued support in malacological research by providing marine sediment samples of Okinawa.

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri.  A new species named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller. Described by Shawn Wiedrick.

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020). A new species from Okinawa named after naturalist and underwater photographer Shawn Miller

This Giant helmet shell (Cassis cornuta) conformed around the rubber gasket (Marine debris).  An interesting photograph, but our trash is becoming a serious problem.

My daughter and I found this mutated strawberry conch shell in 2018. This is the first four-eyed conch shell I have seen. They naturally have two eyes, not four.

 My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link  paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines.  Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Know your nature with Shawn Miller. Have a great day!