A savored delicacy for sea otters and native coastal people alike, these hard-shelled marine snails were prized for the iridescent colors and the occasional pearl found inside their shells. Like most ...

Highly valued for its edible muscular foot and mother-of-pearl shell, the pinto abalone has declined significantly in recent decades and faces extinction unless it'ss protected — and soon — under the ...

Abalone shells have long been sought for their iridescent interiors made from layers of nacre, otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. Many coastal California Native American tribes used these shells ...