A dazzling new release from the Natural History Museum take you on a tour of the world ’s most fascinating and telling shells . In her book “ Interesting Shells ” fourth-year curator for the Natural History Museum , Andreia Salvador , proves that there ’s no one - size - fit - all when it comes to the structure of marine mollusc , and there ’s some serious construction go on among our sea ’s smallest resident .
Here , she reveals some highlights from the account book , her life history , and what ’s it like working towards your dream function in a striking museum .
What do you do ?
I am the Senior Curator of Marine Molluscs for the London Natural History Museum .
What did it take to get here ?
I have a biological science degree from the University of Evora in Portugal . flop after wind up my degree , I form for nine month at the Museum of Centro Portugues de Actividades Subquaticas ( C.P.A.S. ) in Lisbon . After that it was a struggle to find a chore in a Lusitanian museum , so in 2004 I decide to move to London to offer at the Natural History Museum .
I thought it would be the good place to learn more about curation and collections , to get more experience and to improve my CV . In 2011 , after many temporary jobs in dissimilar sections at the Museum , I moved to the Mollusca Section , the place where I always wanted to sour and where I set out originally as a voluntary .
How did you first become concerned in shell ?
I have been interested in shells since I was a child . I have very fond memories of my kinsperson , during our holidays in Portugal , collecting cockles and clams by the ocean for tiffin . And we also collected the beautiful shells that you’re able to bump on the guts .
I used to take them home , where I would make clean and catalog them . Even before I recognize , I was already curating my private shell collection . Unsurprisingly when I had to choose the theme of my thesis at university , molluscs were the obvious pick .
Do you have a personal front-runner from the leger ?
I write 121 stories in the ledger , some sometime favorites that I usually mentioned during negotiation , spell or other museum events , and others that were completely new to me .
I pick out shells that I associate with my house , my country , my acquaintance , or my colleagues , but my favorite shell is the carrier shell , genusXenophora . This maritime escargot collect and attaches objects to the sharpness of its shell , resulting in a mini collection that they carry with them all the time .
What do you hope people will take away from translate it ?
I wrote stories that you could expect from a shell book , like shell biology , the environmental science and behaviour of mollusc , but I also wrote lesser - known stories of collectors and collections . Also , of the importance of mollusk in food , way , computer architecture , art , religion and sportswoman .
My stories are as various as the beautiful shells illustrate in this book , so I hope that the reviewer will be surprised and will learn a new fact ( or two ) .
Any advice for aspiring shell enthusiasts and collectors ?
Spotting shell is very well-heeled , and it is very tempting to wreak them home as memento of your lovely holiday . However , be mindful of the legislation as you might need a license to collect the shells , but also export and significance permit or you ’ll be in trouble . My advice is this : keep it simple , take a beautiful picture and leave the shell behind .
you could recover out more about the Word of God and get your copyhere .
