Seashells by MillhillSeashell Identification

Some common long shells found on the beaches I frequent are the pen shell, jackknife clam and stout tagelus.

Pen shells often have an iridescent shine and the ones I find are usually just pieces. An unbroken shell can be close to a foot in length.

According to my Seashell Book, there are three types of pen shell: the sawtooth, stiff and half-naked. Pretty weird names. Contrary to what you might think, the sawtooth is the smoothest looking. The other two have vertical ridges going the length of the top “fan” part of the shell.

The Minor Jackknife Clam Shell

This long, whitish shell is the Minor Jackknife clam. My kids used to call it a fingernail shell. It is also a razor clam.

pen shells and jackknife clam shell — Jackknife clam and pen shells

The longish and wider shells shown below next to my eye glasses are stout tagelus. These are also known as “short razor” clams.

stout tagelus clam shell — Stout tagelus clam shells

Pen shells are related to mussels which are not the prettiest of shells. I have one in my photo below along with a tagelus.

Florida seashells — Broken Crown conch, mussel, clam, tagelus, dosinia, little shark’s eye, and tiny marsh periwinkles (one sits on top of a penny).

Ribbed mussel shell — Open and empty mussel shell

Latest from the Blog

Camping Review of Long Point Campground in Melbourne

Camping in Florida right on the salt water river in Melbourne. Long Point offers water access sites and we stayed for two nights in March.

Never Get Tired of Finding The Living Horse Conch

Today we went out on the boat. It’s been a while since we’ve gone out because the weather has cooled off. We weren’t out for long, and stopped at some favorite beaches because the tide was out. There wasn’t much to see, and then … there it was! A living horse conch. The bright orange…