Big Seashells Found in Florida

While searching through my collection of seashell photos, I decided to share some of the big seashells I’ve discovered over the years.

When we go boating on the Indian River, which is on the east coast and is saltwater, I often take photos of shells. These seashells are not collected, just photographed. The only shells I ever collect are empty and unique.

Because I find the same types of shells over and over, when I see something that seems unusually large, I like to get some good photos. The bright sunshine keeps me from getting the best pictures. Because I usually can’t even see the image I am photographing, I really never know until I get home whether or not my photos came out.

Florida’s State Shell, The Horse Conch

The horse conch is the largest shell to be found in Florida’s waterways. It can grow to be over two feet in length. It can have knobs, like the one below on the left, or it can be fairly smooth, like the white shell below.

Only that white horse conch is at my house. My boys and a friend were out boating and the friend found a “rock” buried in the mud. He stepped on it, and not being from Florida, he assumed it was a rock under the mud. When he was told it couldn’t be a rock, he dug it up. And there it was, a huge horse conch shell. It was empty, except for the mud because it had been under the mud. Obviously the snail had died and the shell became buried from the movement of the water.

Anyway, they brought it home to me.

The Tulip Shell

Another shell that can get pretty large is the tulip. Tulip shells are either True Tulips or Banded Tulips. The True Tulip grows larger and all the tulips below are True. A banded tulip has horizontal lines wrapping around the shell. They are really beautiful, if you find a specimen that is not worn and faded by the sun.

All three images here are of seashells that hold something living inside. Even though the shell on the left seems to be empty, it had a hermit crab tucked up inside.

The middle shell is beautiful and shows the pretty colors. A hermit crab is showing and he is holding tightly to another seashell! I’m not sure why, but it’s an interesting image.

The shell on the right has the living snail inside. That is the animal (mollusk) that created the shell. That hard, flat part is the operculum, or “trap door” that closes up the opening when the snail is inside.

Crown Conchs and Clam

Crown conchs are prevalent in my area. The crown has spikes along the whorls and they can be just tiny or quite large. The crown conch here in my photo is broken and old. Nothing was inside because the entire inside was broken open. But this shell is quite large. Crown conchs are not normally that large.

The clam shell was closed, so alive. I picked it up from the shallows just to get a photo. I sometimes find one part of the clam – or southern quahog – but this one was interesting because it was living and closed. It was also huge!

Where Are the Big Seashells That Are Pretty?

I began writing this blog, many years ago, because I wanted to know more about seashells. I wanted to know where they came from, and more about the snails that created them. Animals usually leave nothing behind when they die. But the sea snail leaves a beautiful home. Shells are truly amazing things, and they provide homes for other sea life after the snail is gone.

My photos are usually not of pretty seashells that are in perfect condition. I find my shells along the Indian River backwaters, in their natural habitat.

I know that many people travel to the Gulf coast and southwest Florida (Ten Thousand Islands) and take shelling tours. These days it seems to be a big money-maker for anyone with a good size boat. That is probably where you will find big seashells that are in great condition. Those islands are only accessible by boat, so you’l pay a hefty price and go to a remote area to collect your shells.

The Gulf side of Florida does have a large shell variety. Some types I never see on the east coast. Small and big seashells can be found empty and in great condition. Shelling can take place on islands that are literally made up of shells. This is a big draw for tourists.

Thankfully, visitors generally don’t flock to my area on the east coast to go shelling or search for elusive big seashells. I’m happy for that.