Animal profile

Tusk Shell

ScaphopodaSoft marine sediments from the shallow subtidal to the deep sea

Field profile

Tusk shells, or scaphopods, are burrowing molluscs whose shell is a slightly curved tube open at both ends. They live head-down in sediment, with the narrow end projecting into the water for respiration. They feed on foraminiferans captured by fine adhesive tentacles.

Published field notes

2026-04-08

Tusk Shell

Tusk shells were currency on the Pacific Northwest coast

Dentalium shells, strung in standard lengths, functioned as a widely accepted medium of exchange and wealth store among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest and interior, long before European trade goods arrived.

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