Mathematical determination of coiled shell volumes and surface areas

Mathematical models of shells enable researchers to estimate the maximum possible sizes of organisms that once occupied fossil shells. In this study, a whorl‐by‐whorl method of determining coiled shell volumes and surface areas is introduced. The whorl‐by‐whorl analysis yielded results that were more accurate than those obtained from a model that assumes isometric growth, when both were used to calculate volumes of gastropod shells. The …