I came across this little shell a few years ago while walking the flats at low tide on the Indian River. A hermit crab was inside, which is the norm for this area, so I took a few quick (and not very good) photos and moved on. But it did not match the usual selection of shells I see in this area.
Light gray little seashell
The shell was small, so possibly a juvenile, and young mollusk shells can look very different from adults. The only clue I have is from a link I found while researching the Channeled Whelk where there is a photo at Mitchell Publications containing shells that look similar to this one. They seem to have the very tightly coiled spiral on top.
My best guess at the time was a Pear Whelk, but it really didn’t have the rounded top. It didn’t look anything like a Crown Conch either, both of which I see often in the area.
Three pear whelks with two crown conchs in the center
The partial shell below is a Channeled whelk I found not long ago. I rarely see these pretty bumpy topped shells, in fact this one may have been a first. While researching it, I found the shell identification page linked above, and saw the shell that looks like my gray one listed as a channeled whelk. To me, the image below does not look like the little gray shell, but if the spire had not begun to protrude, I suppose it’s reasonable to link them as the same type of shell.
Pretty channeled whelk
For now at least, my best guess is that the little gray shell is a juvenile channeled whelk. If anyone knows for certain, I’d love to know what you think.
Some days spent out on the water can be so worth it. When I found this little channeled whelk on an island beach, it made my day….!
I took loads of photos to capture the memory, and decided to share some of them here.
This is not a shell I see regularly in my area, and of course it was inhabited by a hermit crab, so I couldn’t collect it. The channeled whelks I have seen are always broken or old or identified incorrectly. Like I said, I don’t see them much.
Pretty channeled whelk
Those bumps around the raised spire are fascinating and really beautiful. It is described this way, “A pear shaped snail shell with deep channels between the whorls”. To me, it looks like a layer cake. Maybe I am just hungry.
Between the sunny coloring and the dotted border of the whorls, I was mesmerized by this little, broken shell.
Although this shell is broken, it’s beautifully made
Mitchell Publications has a photo of various Channeled Whelks and it brought to mind a shell I found a while ago and couldn’t name. It was a small gray shell with a little “dot” on top. I probably labeled it as a pear whelk.
Below is a very old and worn channeled whelk. You can barely make out the bumps along the whorls at the top. This majorly broken shell actually was home to a hermit crab. I had collected it not knowing, because those crabs can tuck themselves way up inside the tiniest of spaces. I had to drive back over to the water (fortunately not too far) and put it back!
White and broken channeled whelk shell remains
I don’t think I have a channeled whelk in my seashell collection. The little yellow one was discovered on the same day I encountered the creepy spider crab.
Facts About the Channeled Whelk
The Channeled whelk (Busycon canaliculatum or Busycotypus canaliculatus) mollusk feeds on oysters and clams.
They are eaten by blue crabs.
It can be found along the eastern United States, from Cape Cod to northern Florida. I live on the coast near the middle of Florida, so it could be why I don’t see that many.
Size can be up to 8 inches.
Coloring can be gray, tan, yellow, or white (albino)
Shells That Are Similar to the Channeled Whelk
The shell below is a Knobbed Whelk and although it is similar to the Channeled Whelk, the bumps are larger and spaced apart. The top is flatter, as the top of the Channeled whelk looks “pulled up”.
This shell is the gorgeous one that “got away”. A big hermit crab was living inside so I took photos and put it back in the water.
A beautiful knobbed whelk found in the Indian River
If you look at the knobbed whelks in my photo below, you will understand why I was so excited to find the whelk pictured above. It was a vast improvement on what I usually see! By the way, the “white” shells here are bleached by the sun and weather. Their beautiful original coloring has faded. The shell on the left is a Horse Conch.
Worn horse conch and two broken knobbed whelks
Pear Whelks and Crown Conchs
Below are some Pear Whelks and a couple of Crown Conchs in the center. The pear whelk is smoother than the channeled species and the crown conch has spiked ridges.
The Lightning Whelk
The Lightning whelk really cannot be mistaken for a Channeled whelk, unless it is an old and worn shell. Even so, the Lightning whelk has it’s opening on the left side – and that makes it unique. It contains “bumps” and a bit of a spire, but really, I think they are easy to tell apart.
The Left-Handed Lightning Whelk
Below is what I believe to be a piece of a lightning whelk. I find many black shells around Ponce Inlet, and if you wonder how shells become black, please read my post.
Black Lightning Whelk
The channeled whelk shell is a true beauty. I feel fortunate to have found it. Now, in it’s “second life”, it is still useful as a home to the hermit crabs in this area.
Broken and faded, my big whelk shell harbors a little secret.
One of the shells in my photo below contains a creature hiding within. He was so secretive that I never knew he was there for a full day after bringing these shells home. So here’s the story…
Big Whelks found along Indian River
My sons and I went boating in our little Gheenoe a couple days ago. It was not windy at our house, but once we got over to the River we saw whitecaps and knew we would be dealing with wind. Windy conditions and rough water are not a big deal unless you happen to be traveling in a canoe with a motor. With three of us in the little boat it won’t go fast, and because it sits so low in the water, we tend to get wet.
Because of this we didn’t travel far. The closest big island is where we stopped, and I got out to search for seashells. The boys used the trolling motor and went just offshore to do some fishing. We had the place to ourselves.
The shell hunt began. First I walked the inner side of the island which was extremely windy. I saw a lot of horseshoe crabs – alive and dead, and of course oysters. More than once I’ve been faked out when I think I’ve discovered a big shell in the shallows only to find it’s a nasty clump of oysters!
Oysters growing on tree roots along the island coastline
All the cute little shells along the shoreline were moving. Hermit crabs take up residence and steal all the good seashells for themselves. Each beautiful specimen I came across was inhabited, so I took photos and had to be happy with that. Those seashell finds I will share on my next post.
On the inland side of the island, where I was more sheltered from the wind, I found something that made my heart race. A big yellow seashell was up on shore and looked to be buried in the sand. A shell on the shore means the mollusk is not inside. Sea snails live in the water. The fact that it was not moving gave me the impression that a hermit crab was not inside. I was excited, but I should have known better. I took this photo before picking it up. Doesn’t it look like it could be a great find?
Unfortunately the underneath of that shell (which I believe is a knobbed whelk) was completely broken open, so what I saw in the sand is all there was to the shell. The mollusk had died and the broken shell did not give shelter for a crab. In other words it was useless to sea life. I took it home, along with the other broken shells I found.
But the big surprise came the day after our trip to the island, when a hermit crab appeared in the opening of one of the broken shells! Can you guess which shell, from my first photo above?
When I got home I soaked all the shells in water with a small amount of bleach to clean them off. I left them on the cement deck outside all night and then cleaned them one at a time the next day. When they were dry, I set them on the table and that is when my son noticed a big hermit crab emerging from the one below!
Yup, a good size hermit crab is inside the top of this broken, faded and worn Channeled whelk shell. The inner top of this shell must be hollow and he had scrunched himself into that area. We could see a bit of his legs through that top broken piece.
We did the only thing we could do to help the crab survive. We drove over to the River and tossed the shell back into the sea water.
You can see pictures of the Channeled Whelk as it is before it becomes as destroyed as mine is on the “i love shelling” site, where Pam (the blog owner) is fortunate to live and travel to great shelling places. She writes from the fabulous Gulf Coast, Sanibel area, where gorgeous seashells are everywhere.
I have to work hard just to find these broken ones! But it’s fun, and who knows, one day I may find something spectacular out there.
