orange

This pretty picture of a seashell with orange inside came from a contributor at the Pixabay site. I’ve noticed over the years that more and more wonderful seashell photography has been added to the free to use, public domain site.

I will be honest and say that I don’t know what this shell is. Users of Pixbay don’t usually list where the shell was found, and users live all over the world. The one who uploaded this shell picture is from the Czech Republic.

This shell is a gastropod with a short spire (top swirl). The only info I have are the tag words posted with the picture, which are “seashell”, “sea”, and “the clams”. A clam shell is a bi-valve – comes in two parts – so I would say this is not a clam. At least it’s not any kind of clam I have seen.

If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a whelk or a conch, which does not really narrow it down much! It looks to me like the tail of the shell might be broken. See how the dark orange on the inner lip abruptly ends? If it once had a longer tail the shell would take on a different appearance. And how long was the tail? We can only guess.

We also don’t know the true size of this shell. It could be quite large, or the photo could be a macro image of a very tiny shell. If that is the case, it could be a Florida rock snail, which only grows to around 3 inches long. All this information is used to identify mollusks, and we don’t have access to it. I’m not even sure if the photo below (by the same user at Pixabay) is of this same shell, but I assume it is.

Do you have any guesses as to what type of shell it is? Maybe you know it’s name. If so, please share.

spiral top of seashell — Spiral top of a Seashell

Jingle shells (Anomia ephippium) are not hard to find on the beaches of Florida. They can also be found from Massachusetts to Brazil according to my seashell ID book.

They have been given the nickname “Mermaid’s Toenails” and I can see why. They are wrinkled and polished looking and come in a variety of translucent colors from shades of orange to dark gray, with white and off-white being common as well.

Jingle shells in pretty peach, yellow, white and silver colors — Jingle shells come in pretty colors.

black and silver jingle shells — Jingle shells which have turned black due to being buried in sediment before eventually washing ashore. Read more about black seashells here.

The “jingle” part of their name comes from the fact that they make a jingling sound when a group of them is collected and shaken around in your pocket or pail. Their thinness does not mean they are fragile, in fact they are very sturdy little shells that measure around one to two inches across. The pretty variety of colors makes them perfect for display or creating crafts and they add interest in a jar of shells.

The mollusk that makes the shell usually attaches itself to something – a rock or even another larger shell – in the ocean. It also takes the form of the item it attaches to which would explain it’s bumpy appearance. Then, when the bivalve shell splits apart – for whatever reason, only one half washes up on shore. The other half is still attached to the place where it lived, or breaks since it is the thinner part of the shell. You will most likely not find a jingle shell in two parts on the beach and the part you do find is probably the left half.