We’ve had a few cool days recently (60’s is cool here) so I decided to take a trip over to Smyrna Dunes Park to search the beach. And it turned out to be a very interesting shell-collecting afternoon.
In fact, I hit the seashell jackpot! One of the shells I found is called a White Baby’s Ear (Sinum perspectivum). I’ve never found one before!
Hopefully you can see the tiny lines on this shell that make it interesting. It’s more of a gray color, but I put it in the afternoon sun to get the photos.
The swirl of this shell reminds me of the Shark’s Eye, and it is related to the Moonsnail, which is a smaller version of the Shark’s Eye. The Baby’s Ear looks like a flattened moonsnail.
The other version of the Baby’s Ear is the “Maculated Baby’s Ear” which has some brown streaks. It’s always fun to find something different, but this shell is so tiny it would be tough to find another. It was pure luck I noticed it in the sand. It’s almost exactly the same color as the beach sand.
Many of the great shells I found recently were found because I stood still in one spot and really searched the beach around me. They would be very easy to pass by while walking.
Pass it on
Hi June, I love the black shells. I don’t know anything about the baby’s ear, but they seem to be rare in my area.
I look for these and find them all the time. Just found a black one that is beautiful. I’m in NC.
Hey, thanks!
That is a good idea-many animals will die in captivity if taken from the wild. It’s great that you have such a cool hobby! Your photos are definitely good enough to share-keep it up!
Yes, I’ve collected a lot of the ones I photograph for this blog. I find many with hermit crabs inside, and I never collect anything that is occupied or living. That’s when I get a photo only, and hopefully it is good enough to share with my readers!
It definitely is! Do you collect shells?
Isn’t it a cute shell? I feel lucky to have found it.
I can see why it is called “the white baby’s ear”. Thank you for sharing this post-it has inspired me to collect seashells again!
I imagine there are many wonderful shells buried when the tide moves all that sand around. I find a lot of black shells in this area.
The sand is so white no wonder it is so hard to see. In yellow sand white shells stand out. It’s yellow shells that are a problem. very pretty shell.