What Is the Golden Ratio?
3. Shells
One of the best examples of the golden ratio occurring in nature is in shells, particularly snail shells. Take a cross section of a shell and you will be able to see that it has a spiral shape, with the spiral becoming wider as the shell grows larger.
If you were to draw a rectangle around this spiral at any point then you will find that the ratio of the sides of the rectangle is equal to the golden ratio. This will continue to be true no matter how small the shell is, or how large it grows. It also applies to the shells of many other shelled species.
