The Story Of The Oyster Shell

When we visited the Great Barrier Reef a couple of years ago, I picked up an enormous oyster shell and showed it to my wife.

"It’s beautiful" she said, "Now put it back".
"It is very beautiful" I said. "And so smooth".
"Put it back" she said.

She was right of course. 

You're not allowed to take anything, dead or alive, from the Great Barrier Reef. It's the world's largest coral reef system you see. It's composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres. It's the oyster shells, not rocks, which provide the hard surface on which reef organisms like sponges can grow.

"They provide protection for fish like gobies and a food source", she added.

I took this picture earlier today of the shell in our downstairs toilet. It’s under the stairs.