scallop shells

Zana is my friend’s mom and she died not too long ago. She had been living with her daughter, my friend Judy, until her death. I was living in New Hampshire at the time, so I never got a chance to say good-bye to Zana (who had the coolest name ever!). But the other day I visited Judy (now that I live in Florida once again) and I discovered Zana’s seashell legacy.

We were hanging out by the pool at my friend’s house and I noticed a collection of seashells on her table. The size of the shells caught my attention first. I took a closer look, and in the ceramic bowl, full of old rainwater, I found amazing treasures.

I began to remove the shells from the shallow bowl, one at a time, to get a better look. I was stunned at what I saw! I told my friend that I had to get some photos of these shells. Judy said they had been her mom’s. Well, I had questions! Where did she get them? Did she collect them herself? Where was she when she found them? My friend didn’t know.

I have since found some answers. Read more about the Helmets on another post.

West Indian crown conchs — West Indian Crown conchs and a big helmet shell

My friend seemed uninterested when I said that these were really awesome seashells!!! I continued to take photos and my friend insisted I pick out a shell or two and take it home. I said, “No, I just want photos”. These were her mom’s collection and she may have found the shells on Florida’s beaches long ago. Zana lived in Florida all her life and she obviously thought enough of the shells to keep them with her when she moved in with her daughter.

I was pretty sure that the big ones were helmet shells. I’d never seen helmets in real life, only in my books. Never in my life did I imagine I would see such beauties in person! Maybe shells like these were not all that hard to come by on Florida beaches long ago. Imagine that..!

As I packed up my swimsuit and belongings to leave, Judy was at the shell table and she was loading all the shells – yes, ALL THE SHELLS – into a basket and told me I was taking them all home with me! I protested. She said that I was the shell girl and they were now mine. I could go write about them on my blog.

Washing the seashells in the sink — Cleaning the shells in my sink

Today I cleaned up the shells, which were a bit slimy, and will spend some time soon getting good photos of each of the larger ones. The scallops are big and beautiful as well, and I would love to know where they came from. I can’t imagine Zana buying them. She was a nature lover, gardener and all around fun lady. I’d sure love to talk with her. I’ll need to do some research on the helmets (King or Queen?) and write posts featuring them. I know for certain you don’t just walk along a Florida beach nowadays and come across such gorgeous shells.

Now that the shells are cleaned up, I’m thinking that my friend will enjoy them more. I can’t in good conscience keep Zana’s legacy when it is not rightly mine. The best of these shells will make their way back to the home they belong in, eventually. But in the meantime I will have fun sharing my photos with all my readers. Thanks Zana!

One of my favorite seafoods is scallops. I never used to think much about their shell, until I began to find them along the beach.

The scallop is rounded in shape with protruding flaps at the hinge area (they are bivalves). Sometimes the flaps are similar in size and sometimes one is much larger than the other (Scaly Scallop). Sometimes they are worn and barely visible. Ridges fan out from that front point and can be thin, wide (Lion’s Paw), rough (Rough Scallop), or flat (upper part of the Zig Zag and Rough Ribbed scallops). Sometimes each half of the shell can look entirely different.

Here in Florida there are a few varieties of scallops. Probably the most common type is the Atlantic Calico Scallop (Argopecten gibbus). Shells are colorful in shades of pink and purple with other possible colors like yellow and orange. The entire shell can be colored, or it may have splotches or patterns of color over the shell. This type is what I find on the East coast where I beach-comb. Size is usually around 1-2 inches.

One of the most unique looking scallop is the Kitten’s Paw (Plicatula gibbosa). It’s a tiny shell which is a bit thick and bumpy with more irregular ridges. The ones I have collected came from the Sanibel Island area. They are off-white with orange, or sometimes yellow, coloring with cross-hatch type markings. I have never found one on the East coast of Florida where I live, but my reference book claims this scallop lives all around the state.

kitten paw seashells — Kitten’s Paw Scallop Shells – Max size 1.2 inches

The Atlantic Calico Scallop (Argopecten gibbus) is probably the most commonly found scallop shell in Florida. I’ve collected them on the west coast and east.

The brightly colored calico scallop shells in my photos above were collected on the West / Gulf coast of Florida. In comparison, the shells in my photo below (Calico shells only) were collected on the East coast. Shells in the Gulf area tend to be more well preserved as they are not churned up in the waves like on the Atlantic side.

The black scallop shell was collected from the Ponce Inlet area. I’ve written a post about black shells, because black is not the normal color for seashells.

If you’d like a free, printable coloring page which features the scallop seashell, click here.

Links to Other Types of Scallops Mentioned Here

Atlantic bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) – can be larger than the calico and will reach 4 inches across. They are less colorful than calico also, and will be white, orange or grayish brown. These used to be very common all around Florida and now are not.
Scaly scallops (Caribachlamys sentis) – are small (1.6 inches) and more pointed. Their outstanding characteristic is that one of the front flaps is very large. (The link also shows other types of scallops which I mention in this post.)
Zigzag scallops (Euvola ziczac) – are flat shells (top valve) with colorful zig-zagging colors of purple, pink or orange. They can be up to 4 inches wide. The bottom part of the shell is rounded like a regular shell. (See a good photo in that link.)
Round-rib scallops – look similar to the Zigzag and also flat, but their ribs are wider. They are smaller than the Zigzag at max 2 inches.
Rough scallops – This type is rarely found on beaches. Usually they are solid colored and only grow to 1.5 inches. They have rough ribs, with tiny bumps, hence the name.
The coveted Lion’s Paw is a scallop shell with extra wide ridges. It is not commonly found anywhere here in Florida, but it is possible to find one. Your best chance of finding a Lion’s Paw would probably be over by Sanibel Island on the Gulf.