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.

Murex spicatus -Venus comb murex© Shawn Miller

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.

Semipallium dianae © Shawn Miller

Neocancilla takiisaoi © Shawn Miller

Cardium victor – Heart shell © Shawn Miller

Lambis scorpius – scorpion conch © Shawn Miller

Morum ponderosum © Shawn Miller

Annachlamys reevei © Shawn Miller

Chicoreus ryukyuensis © Shawn Miller

Cypraea (Blasicrura) luchuana  © Shawn Miller

Gloripallium speciosum – sunray scallop © Shawn Miller

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

Venomous cones shells of Okinawa © Shawn Miller

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.

Trident trumpet © Shawn Miller

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.

Sinezona milleri (Geiger & Sasaki , 2009)

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

Hemilienardia shawnmilleri

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

Calliostoma shawni (Poppe & Tagarao, 2020)

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

Helmet shell and rubber gasket © Shawn Miller

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.

Mutated four-eyed conch © Shawn Miller

 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!