March Hermits in Medium Size Horse Conch

A chilly boat ride took us to Three Sisters, among other places, where we found interesting shells filled with hermit crabs. Often I have seen tiny horse conchs, and a few times we’ve seen massive horse conchs, but this horse conch was medium size.

Hermit crab in a medium size horse conch shell — Spotted a cool horse conch among the oyster shells

As I waded through the 62 degree water on a 60 degree day, with a wind chill, I came across this pretty little shell. I knew right off that it was a horse conch, but it was larger than the ones I usually find.

Smaller horse conch seashell found in the mud — Dirty but pretty seashell

This shell had a very large hermit crab inside and he was tucked way down in. I couldn’t keep the shell so I got a few pictures on my iPhone, which I hoped would come out.

Here you can see the pretty lines and bumps which make up the shell, and orange to reddish brown coloring. I’m guessing that this shell was about 5-6 inches long. The snail had died for whatever reason, and a large hermit crab had moved in. Although I previously had read that Hermit crabs do NOT kill mollusks for their shell, this article has opened my eyes to the possibility. However, the crab mentioned lives in farther southern waters.

It is curious as to how hermit crabs just happen to find empty shells the correct size to hold their bodies. In this vast expanse of river, how would that happen? Hermit crabs don’t run around without shells, so how does it all begin?

A few weeks ago when we were out on the river, there were no hermit crabs anywhere, and very few shells at all. It makes me wonder if any of the hermits I see will kill a mollusk / snail and take over the shell for their home.

The horse conch shell was not in perfect condition and it was encrusted with mud, but it was a beauty just the same. Had it lived, it may have become up to 2 feet long. We have occasionally seen living horse conchs out on the little islands along the Indian River backwaters.

We drove the Hewe’s Redfisher in behind Three Sisters and walked the sandy areas that were showing at low tide. But the water was coming back in, so the sand was disappearing. My son found a starfish / sea star, which I have never come across ever. This one was unfortunately dead and was missing two legs with another one broken. I came across a few gatherings of hermit crabs where it appeared they were checking out each other’s shells. We saw lots of little “baby” mollusks crawling about as well. This area is usually full of interesting wild creatures from the sea, and today did not disappoint.

Medium size horse conch seashell — Pretty horse conch

Various Horse Conchs I’ve Seen on Florida’s East Coast

Found a living horse conch
Two shells and one black cat
Guessing this bleached white horse conch is about 8 inches long.
Horse conch disguised
Baby horse conch shell
Horse Conch
Spotting the old horse conch just offshore
Four hermits in various seashells

Even if the shells can’t be collected, the photos are fun to share. Being educated about what can be found in this wilderness area of Florida is my goal with this blog.

Can You Identify These Broken Seashells? Take the Quiz

My seashell collection sits in a big round platter on my coffee table. I like to search through and find my favorites and sometimes I dig down underneath to find a pretty shell I’d forgotten about. The big clams are used to hold the tinier seashells. Often I need to remind myself of a shell’s name.

The broken and old, worn, shells can sometimes be the most difficult to identify. On this page I share some photos of the broken bits to create a fun little game of “identify me”. Not all shells are in my collection. Some could only be mine as photos.

Can you identify the shell names from my pictures here? They are all different, and one is not a shell. The answers are at the bottom of the page. (Some of the photos also link to a page where the shell can be seen.)

# 1

smooth parts of different sharks eye shells — I think this one might be too easy!

# 2

This black shell gave me some trouble until I noticed the unusual way it swirled – hint: to the left.

black seashell — This is a common shell that has turned black

# 3

The crab is a Giant Red Hermit but can you tell what type of shell he is living in? At first I didn’t know, but there is a little clue.

red crab in seashell — Giant Red Hermit crab in a very broken shell

# 4

Partial seashell pieces of the knobbed whelk

# 5

# 6

These pieces did not all come from the same “shell”. It’s actually not a shell at all.

# 7

This big worn shell was one I had to give back. A hermit crab was tucked up inside!

# 8

Here Are The Answers, In Case You Need Them!

How well did you do? I’ve linked to other posts showing better images of these beach treasures.

#1 Shark’s Eye
#2 Lightning whelk
#3 Crown Conch
#4 Knobbed Whelk
#5 Fighting Conch
#6 Sand Dollar
#7 Channeled Whelk
#8 Banded Tulip – this link goes to the Bailey-Matthews Museum.

If you thought this was fun, take another Seashell Quiz by searching online. There are quite a few, which are fun and informative.

Traveling With Vacation Seashell Souvenirs

Vacationers usually want a souvenir reminder of their trip. Beach vacations usually include some beach-combing and maybe shell collecting. So, can you bring shells home (wherever that is) from the beach?

florida coastline — Florida East Coast Beach

Since I don’t know where home is for you, that is a difficult question to answer. Countries may have various rules on what can be brought in. If it’s allowed, then find out what you can collect and keep from the area you visit.

If you are in Florida, read about the Rules for Shell Collecting. And you should never keep any shells, starfish, sand dollars, etc. that are alive! Besides the fact that it’s going to kill the animal that created that shell you covet, it’s often illegal to collecting living shells.

It’s best to find out what local laws say. Ask at the hotel, or place you are staying – they should know. Killing any living creature is not cool in my book.

So, it’s fine to take all the empty beach shells you want, but how many do you really need? Here on the east coast of Florida, shells are small, and sparse. On Sanibel Island and the Gulf Coast, shells are numerous. With the wonderful cell phone cameras these days, it’s so easy to take photos and then collect a few favorite shells.

All collected shells should be rinsed well in plain water. Adding a tiny bit of bleach can help remove smells and dirt, but don’t let them soak for long in bleach or shell colors will fade. Please note: The exception would be starfish and sand dollars and any other more fragile specimens. Just rinse with water.

If a shell has a dark colored “skin” that is the periostracum. It will be tough to remove, but will eventually flake off.

Starfish under glass at Smyrna Dunes Park — Locally found starfish

Dry everything well, or put shells out on the deck, porch or in a sunny spot until they dry – remember that sun will fade shells! Shells are quite tough for the most part, but if you’ve found anything fragile, be sure to wrap it well or put it inside a cracker box, or empty food carton for the journey.

Check online with the airline, but anything packed in checked luggage should be okay for travel.