Rainbow abalone shell, New Zealand
© Lynda Harper/Minden Picture
A shell of many colours
This may look a little like a long-lost Jackson Pollock canvas, but it was Mother Nature who painted this blackfoot paua (aka rainbow abalone) shell. And modern art it ain't: Fossils from similar marine gastropods date back at least 65 million years.
There are more than 100 abalone species in oceans around the world, but the blackfoot paua is one of the largest and is found only in New Zealand's waters. The Indigenous Māori people have long prized its black flesh as a delicacy and now others are discovering its distinct flavour, particularly in Asia, where the blackfoot paua fetches astronomical prices at seafood markets. After harvesting the abalone meat, the Māori use the colourful shells as decorations in traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Paua power!
Related Images
The Mackenzie River in Canada emptying into the Beaufort Sea
Manicouagan Crater in Québec, Canada
Thousands of jack fish swimming together at Cabo Pulmo National Park, Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico
Aerial view of the Grotta della Poesia (Poetry's Cave) near Roca, Lecce, Italy
The Spirit of Harlem mural by Louis Delsarte in Harlem, New York, USA
Aerial view of tidal channels in marshland of the Mockhorn Island State Wildlife Management Area, Virginia, USA
Mississippi River on the border between Arkansas and Mississippi, USA
Mineral-laden water in the Rio Tinto in Minas de Rio Tinto mining area, Huelva province, Andalusia, Spain
Today Bing
Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635)
Hubble Space Telescope’s view of Saturn
