The bodies of the warm seas invertebrates are protected by diversified coloured and shaped external shells. The variaty of these animals' shells is owing to their great adaptability to many kind of environments. Different invertebrate species can be found from the rolling sea exposed cliffs to the mire of the deep seas. However the most spectacular coloured and shaped molluscs in the highest species number can be found on the coral reefs build by anthozoons. Unaccidentally the coral reefs are one of the hot biodiversity spots of our Globe. The abandoned shells of these varied animals are "the jewels of the seas".

Mostly the abondaned shells could be collected by day-time because the molluscs are active mainly night, and these shells were really worth in the ancient time in the tropical worlds. The shells of some of the species were used as money or jewel e.g. porcelain-shells. The worth of the shells for the collectors came from not only their beauty but their rarity, too. Rare species can be found in great number among the molluscs, because their geographical spread limited by the warm changes of the seas.

The molluscs lived in great species number in the early geological ages of the Earth, too. At least 600 million years ago all of the recent basic forms have been found, yet. Fossils in good condition conserved their former charateristic features. In Hungary frequently occuring fossils are the Ammonites shells.

In our exhibition a chosing of István Singer's four thousand specimens shell collection can be seen. Beside the man used species such as murexes or pearl-shells, there also can be seen really rare species for instance from Trochidae family which are similar in their form to the whirling-top, or the Pinnidae family which are gammon-like species. The choso of the shell-colletion is completed with shell-fossils form the store of the museum so the recent species can be compare with the former species.