Tanzania Wildlife | A TWINKLE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE! | Wildlife sightings in Mnemba Island

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Mnemba Island

Mnemba Island is the ultimate escape. Selected by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the three most romantic ocean destinations in the world, Mnemba surpasses all expectations. The island is an incomparable barefoot paradise: private cottages are hidden in the dappled shade. The soothing rhythms of tide and time will ease your entire being - mind, body and soul.

A TWINKLE THAT CAUGHT MY EYE!

After a wonderful dive, we were moving along the top of Small Wall, swimming out to our safety stop. I just caught a twinkle in the corner of my eye and turned back to see a beautiful Egg Shell Cowrie! It’s the largest member of the cowrie family reaching up to 12 cms in length.

The scientific name Ovula Ovum, meaning ‘egg-formed egg’, describes perfectly its shell, which is smooth and white. Like true cowries (of the family Cypraeidae), the Egg Shell Cowrie encloses its shell with the retractable flaps of its mantle. It is black with beautiful white and yellow spots, just like a starry sky at night!

Posted: Mnemba Island by Karen du Plessis, Date: 20 August 2010