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A seashell may refer to the non-living covering of a living mollusc, or it can refer to the living mollusc itself. So it depends on the context; in any case, the seashell is or was part of a living thing.

The chemical composition of a seashell (mostly calcium carbonate) is not a living tissue, but it is connected to (and constructed by) living tissue, just as skin, hair, bones, and teeth are in mammals. When the mollusc dies, the seashell is dead material. But since it is not an organic compound, it is not broken down as other animal tissues are. Similarly in plants, the structures of coral reefs persist because they include minerals not usually broken down by detrivores.

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13y ago

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