Imperial Sun Trochus, Astraea heliotropium

This famous marine shell is also known as the Sunburst Star Turban, and was much sought after by elite collectors in the nineteenth century. It was first brought to Europe by Captain Cook, whose crew had brought it up from the sea bed on ships’ cables in the straits between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is endemic to that country, where it lives in shallow water and feeds on marine vegetation.