Strange sand casts

Worm casts?

What sort of worm?

And why have I not seen them, at least not in such profusion, before? That is, there might have been a few, which I had not noticed, but now they are absolutely everywhere and unmissable.

Possibly razor clam casts, aka razor shell, and not the American version which is shorter and fatter. Sprinkle some salt onto the cast and immediately around it, dribble a little water on to dissolve the salt, stand back and hey presto, a clam. They're edible.

Hair spray?

Need some kind of spray on fixative, I would say.

Cheers

Dave R

Cerainly look constructed rather than just a cast. That plain edge on the left of the close up, the patterning over the bulk. Are they hollow? Could they be the "shells" of something akin to a cadis fly larva?

Tried taking a deep spade full of sand with one on into a bucket and seeing if some critter or shellfish can be found?

They are approximately one millimetre thick and consist only of what you can see.

If you pick one up, it is a bit like a thin shell in that it is just one layer - but unbelievably fragile. If you didn't support it, the whole thing would fall apart. In order to get one onto the black sheet, I broke several.

Just realised I had actually taken a picture from the hollow side:

Hum, looking at the overview image, top right there is one that looks to be less damaged and appears to be more of a hollow cone with a hole at the top. Bucket and spade...

They might be fish swim bladders. These are a delicacy in themselves in some places and can also be used to make isinglass. Perhaps somehow a consignment was lost overboard. They're very fine and I could well imagine sand would stick to them.

Don't think I'd ever have thought of them!

There are lots of razor clams and their shells - but they are always there.

Well yes but I bet they all produce similar tubular casts.

Tim

Do they develop in the still tides and washed inland or, are they in situ and revealed by the tides? Some look deeply embedded.

It would nice if it was within your interest to find a method to cast these shapes. There must be something that will bind the particles?

I think they will sell.

Damn right. And why would you? But I am intrigued by the lateral thought.