This species is called "money cowrie" because the shells were historically widely used in many
Pacific and
Indian Ocean countries as
shell money before coinage was in common usage.
Description and characteristics
It is a quite small cowry, up to 3 cm (1.2 in), irregular and flattened, with very calloused edges and roughly subhexagonal. The color is pale (from white to dirty beige), but the dorsum seems transparent, often greenish grey with yellowish margins, with sometimes darker transverse stripes and a delicate yellow ring. The opening is wide and white, with pronounced denticules. The
mantle of the live animal is mottled with black and off-white.
The shell of Monetaria moneta varies widely in shape and color, with some of these varieties having been described as full species. As a result, this species has numerous taxonomic synonyms.
The underside of a live Monetaria moneta with the
mantle partially retracted
This cowrie lives in
intertidal rocky areas and shallow
tide pools among
sea weed,
coral remains, and empty
bivalve shells.[3] It can be found on and under rocks in shallow water and on exposed reefs at low tide. It feeds on
algae and marine vegetation growing on loose rocks and pieces of dead
coral.
The shell is still used in divination rituals in some
African religions.[3]
In the State of
Kerala, in
India, special money cowrie shells (which are known in
Malayalam as കവിടിKavidi) are used for
divination as part of
Hindu astrology, as
Prashnam. For Prashnam, 108 shells of Monetaria moneta are rotated a number of times and the blessings of
God and one's
Guru are invoked. A portion of the Kavadis are separated and counted to find out the ruling planet at that time. The results of the Prasna
horoscope (a horoscope formulated at the time of arrival of the persons) are compared with the results of the Prasnam, and the predictions are pronounced on that basis.
Verdcourt, B. (1954). The cowries of the East African Coast (Kenya, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Pemba). Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society 22(4) 96: 129-144, 17 pls.