Shells
Ocean diversity.
The Museu do Mar in Santos is a cultural institution devoted to spreading knowledge of marine biodiversity. It opened on 30 June 1984 and holds one of the most important marine biology collections in Latin America, run by a private society that also manages a maritime museum. It was founded by the marine biologist Luiz Alonso Ferreira, a son of Santos from a family of Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. His grandparents lived on Ilha das Palmas at the mouth of the Santos channel, where the family befriended famous Brazilian writers and poets who came to the island to rest, and from that old bond with the sea grew his love of marine life and his collecting. The museum displays shells, fish and sea creatures of many kinds, giving visitors and students a picture of the richness of the ocean and the Brazilian coast. It sits in the Ponta da Praia district near the harbour mouth, so it fits easily into a walk along the Santos seafront.
Ocean diversity.
From Brazil's coasts.
Near the harbour.
Ponta da Praia district, Santos, São Paulo state
Families, students and anyone who loves marine life.
