My mind has really been on boating and the water lately but now I am back to thinking about seashells, specifically the queen conch (Strombus gigas) and the creatures who live in them.
Someone who read my Seashell Identification page at Wizzley asked how old my conch shell was. I have a picture posted on my page and she said that her shell looked like mine.
I get all kinds of questions now about seashells and I am not an expert, but I try to find the answer if I can. It seems that the Queen conch reaches it’s mature size by age five, but it can live up to 30 (sometimes 40) years! Therefore the size of the shell would not necessarily be an indicator of it’s age. Once the shell reaches a certain size it can become thicker, but not larger in general.
I bought my two large conch shells probably twenty years ago. I would no longer buy a shell like this. In fact, they (and the animal inside) are protected now. Do not ever collect one from the wild! Not only is it illegal, you would be contributing to their decline. In their natural habitat, the queen conch – or pink conch – lives in warm, shallow water and can be found among reefs, but maybe not for long. Due to it’s beautiful shell and the tasty (supposedly) critter inside, too many queen conchs have been harvested over the years leaving the population of this magnificent mollusk in decline.
If you ever see a living pink conch, get the camera, photograph it, and then leave it in peace. And don’t order conch from the menu!
Pass it on
There are many types of conch, but it does sound big to me.
I bought a Conch shell from a be vender in Clearwater,FL. It was huge. He said it came from Indonesia and it was70 years old. It is huge. 11″ tall X 81/2″ wide at the widest part of the opening. It’s girth is 30″ in circumference at it’s widest with it’s spinal back area included. Does this sound big to you. I will try to send a photo.
Hi Fern, I wonder if that shell in your backyard was used as decor by a previous resident? Thanks for stopping by.
Hello, since I can remember I have been fascinated by seashells. Always looking for the Queen Conch, coincidently just learning what it actually was while reading this article. Up until today I did not know it was called but always wanted to find one on the beach. Totally surprised they are a protected species. Never did find one at any beach but to my amazement and total disbelief, after purchasing my home and having a landscaper clean out the backyard one was found nestled between the rocks. I honestly could not believe my eyes. Of all the places I could have found one, my backyard was not one of them. I am amazed by the shells beauty.
thank you for encouraging people not to harvest endangered sea creatures!