Abalone Shell Pair

Tonight BFF and I went to a thrift store we hadn't been to before. I was very happy to find these two abalone shells. The larger one is almost a foot wide, making it probably the largest one I now own. I hadn't brought enough with me to buy them together, but the owner wanted them to stay together, so he was awesome enough to include the smaller one with the ten dollars price. They'll remain together as long as I'm alive.

As they were purchased:

After washing:

Though they came together, they are not a pair. Abalone shells do not have 2 matching parts, they are a one-shelled organism. They are like land snails - the shells are their backs, and they have their 'foot' that covers their open area. I found this out recently, having thought that the abalone shell might be like a clam shell, with two pieces.

(photo courtesy www.aquariumofpacific.org)

I found a fantastic article about the abalone that I highly recommend. Find it HERE.