Seashell enthusiasts can now see the world’s most valuable and the world’s largest shells, including the Rumphius’ Slit Shell and the giant clams Tridacna gigas — in close detail — along with many other seashell species and shell specimens at an exhibition being hosted at a facility in southern Taiwan.
The Tsai-liao Fossil Museum in Greater Tainan last week launched an exhibition of seashells allowing visitors to view some rarely seen marine forms from more than 300 specimens lent by Taipei’s National Taiwan Museum (NTM).
The exhibition which runs until Sep. 23, also reveals many of seashells’ natural mysteries to the public — such as how they capture the sound of the ocean and how every shell ends up with its own exquisite and unique pattern.
Photo: Lin Meng-ting, Taipei Times
Aside from having a close-up opportunity to observe a multitude of seashells, visitors to the exhibition can also finger the crusty surfaces of a diverse range of sea creatures.
One of the exhibition’s greatest draws is a Rumphius’ Slit Shell, the most precious and rarely found kind of shell in the world, which is valued at about NT$380,000.
“Inhabiting deep waters, the Rumphius’ Slit Shell is the world’s most expensive seashell mainly because of its scarcity, with its shell resembling the shape of a round timepiece and exhibiting long crevices and flame-like patterns on the surface,” said Lai Ching-yang (賴景陽), a member of the NTM’s collections and preservation commission.
Lai added that in 1970 a Taiwanese fisherman dredged up a Rumphius’ Slit Shell off the country’s southeast coast, which was only the fourth one of its kind to have been found worldwide. However, the rare object was procured by an aquarium in Japan at the time, he said.
That makes the Rumphius’ Slit Shell, which is displayed and preserved in Taiwan, a fairly rare and precious marine object, Lai added.
Other focal points at the exhibition include a giant clam, Tridacna Gigas, the world’s largest shell species that can reach up to 1.4m, Lai said, along with a handicraft item made of more than 20,000 small seashells in the shape of the NTM.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS