Porcelain-like snail shells that went around the world

Kauri is a species of snail. The Latin name Monetaria Moneta and the English word money indicate that the porcelain-like shells of the cowries were once used as a means of payment. According to Arabic sources, the treasuries of the Maldivian sultans were full of the native cowries.

In the Middle Ages, at the height of Maldivian trade with India, Arabia and Africa, the cowries had the following meaning: They were the currency that was offset against gold and other currencies. They were also an export good and provided the Maldives with great wealth with their near-monopoly. Particularly beautiful examples were brought onto the market as jewelry. They were placed with the dead as grave goods as far north as possible. They have even been found in Finland and north of the Arctic Circle (Thor Heyerdahl) in graves dated to 600 AD. be dated. During colonial times, the Portuguese sent entire shiploads to Africa to finance the slave trade. Today the shell money is made into jewelry. The shells of the large tiger cowries, which are rarely found underwater due to overexploitation for the souvenir industry, are sought-after collector's items. These molluscs feed on algae and sponges.