Del océano al verso. Las caracolas de Pablo Neruda

are considered extinct, like Madagascar's Tropidophora cuvieriana . It’s striking that in some cases, like that of the giant clams of the Tridacnidae family, of whom there are only nine species in the world, there are four of these present in this repository, all of them vulnerable or endangered. 4 The collection also counts with very common species, including invaders like Rumina decollata , one that causes serious troubles for agriculture. It was interesting noticing that various specimens contain a label with their respective scientific names, their commercial value and the place where they were acquired. This shows that these specimens were bought by Neruda, since collectors generally offer that kind of information to add value to their pieces. In other cases it’s remarkable the presence of handwritten notes by Neruda himself, like one that reads: "I found it in Acapulco in August 1942" or "I found it in Manzanillo." Probably some scientist pointed out to the poet the importance of recording the recollection place and date, although it’s evident that this kind of notes were written only occasionally. If one considers the texture or thickness of the shells, it’s easy to observe the frailty of some specimens, small and big, with brittle edges, whose shells, even though they’ve been through several relocations, are still in good shape. This shows the care with which they’ve been preserved and manipulated. In the collection one can also find specimens belonging to [4] Wen-lung Wu. «Mollusk in Cites», Academic Sinica and Council of Agriculture (1999): 143. 34 universidad de chile