Seashells by Millhill

Fighting Conch Seashell Coloring Page

The Florida fighting conch is an interesting marine snail. The shell is thick and heavy and can be dark purple in color.

I found a living fighting conch one time up by Ponce Inlet and got some photos and videos.

The conch below is alive and the photo was taken on our boat deck. I put the snail there to get a photo, then he went back into the water.

Live Fighting Conch Shows Himself

This is a photo of another live conch and he came right out of his shell! Read more and see photos of this awesome sea snail here.

living fighting conch mollusk — Wow, beautiful color on this Florida fighting conch

Free Coloring Page of the Fighting Conch Shell

Florida fighting conch shell — Seashell Coloring Printout

Who Is Watching The Gulf Coast Birds?

The enormous and sad task of watching the birds of the gulf coast struggle to survive the oil slick is partly the job of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Now, more than ever the sightings and nesting habits of the pelicans, roseate spoonbills and many others will need to be watched.

Watch a slide show of birds gradually becoming covered with the oil that is washing into their territory among the mangroves of Louisiana.

On a brighter note, the seabird colonies of Breton Island are being protected and I guess that is the most we can hope for, that a few of the many important areas of bird habitats can be left untouched. I am still wondering about the mollusks, and of course there is so much more being destroyed.

If you live along the Gulf coast and want to help with reporting or donate to the clean up efforts, or just want to see what’s going on, visit the Cornell site.
Apparently the media has had restrictions imposed on covering the damage. Read more here.

Seashell Identification
Seashell Coloring Page

Worm Shell Cluster

I picked this up this little grouping of shells on a Florida beach somewhere. A lot of my nature finds such as shells and pretty stones are used to decorate the dirt in my potted plants.

It’s an unusual looking thing, with lots of ridges and holes. Finding this bit of shell prompted me to learn more about the creatures who made it.

Worm shells are made by snails, not worms, and are given the name only because their coiled shells resemble worms. This group is called a variable worm shell and lives attached to rocks or other shells in colonies. When they are living, the color is brown to purplish brown, but once the cluster is washed up on shore, the sun bleaches it.

Worm shell cluster tube openings — Openings in the cluster

My piece is small, only about 2.5 inches long, but large specimens, measuring 2 feet across, have been found living off the western Florida coast.