Were the shells that we can find buried in the sand of the beach one day living things?

Question

This is probably a naive question.

But I didn't used to think about this when I was a child.

I now suppose that shells are probably the remains of certain molluscs.

Am I right?

Answer 1

Remains, meaning that old shells are shed by the mollusks as they grow. The organism is not necessarily dead, although it may be.
Hermit crabs do not have shells, but they occupy shells left behind. As they grow they merely leave their outgrown shell and find a larger one.

Answer 2

yes about every shell was once a living thing like the ones you put on your ere to hear the sea they once had a type of crab called a hermit crab in well some still do lol but there not realy old if they were they wwould probly be a fossile

Answer 3

Yes, you are correct. Shells come from a family of animals from the phyllum Mollusca

Answer 4

the shell is more like a home for the thing living inside it.

they shed them as they outgrow them and find larger ones.

Now for some things like oysters this is not the case. they are actually attached to the shell itself. clams mussles scallops are the same.

Answer 5

Usually the shells you find were once growing on molluscs. You can also find brachiopod shells.