The cone shell is recognizable by it’s somewhat flattened spiral / spire at the top. Some cone snails are deadly, not only to prey but to humans as well. The geographic cone snail can grow to be six inches long, and it’s venom can be fatal to humans. Ironically, some of those toxins can be used as pain-killing medications.
Here’s a bit of fun info concerning cone shells: Puka shells are really little pieces from cone shells. The ocean is scoured for round sections to make necklaces – if you buy a REAL puka shell necklace. Mostly puka shell necklaces are fakes, but they are still unique.
There are over 500 types of cone snail. The photo above came from the Pixabay site and I don’t know exactly what type of shell it is, but I am guessing it’s in the cone snail family because of it’s shape.
Watch Nat Geo’s “World’s Weirdest – Killer Cone Snail” short YouTube video to see how this sea creature captures and kills it’s dinner.
Cone shells are loved by collectors as they contain beautiful colors and patterns.
Busycon sinistrum Hollister, 1958 English: Lightning whelk egg case at Sanibel Island in Lee County, Florida, U.S.A. With defensive purple dye. Français : Ponte de Busycon sinistrum, photographiée sur l’île Sanibel, en Floride (États-Unis). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sanibel and Captiva Islands on Florida’s Gulf coast is a popular tourist destination for the serious seashell collector. It is possible to find some quite rare shells there, and it’s impossible to not find any. Some of the beaches on Sanibel Island are nothing but shells!
But if you travel to Florida’s east coast – which is very long – you’ll still find your share of seashells. Just don’t expect them to be as plentiful. You will probably also see some very interesting sea life, dead and alive along the shore.
The seashell matching worksheet has twelve sea life images with a list of names in the center. Print it out as a worksheet for students or kids who are curious about sea life.
I’ve been creating seashell coloring pages for a while with a single shell (or two) on each page. This new “match the seashells to their names” worksheet is more of a learning page for classroom or home-school teaching. I’m offering this page as a free, fun printable for home or classroom, and not as something to copy and sell. The images are mine and are copyrighted.
My hope is that young kids may become interested in seashells and the creatures that make them. The “names” of the shells and urchin and sand dollars are simple, but more information can be found on some of the pages of this blog.
Complete the worksheet by drawing lines from the name of the shell to the image. Because the printout is in black and white, it might be fun to research each type of shell to see it’s coloring. If you need help figuring out some of the shell names, I have links to pages for each one below, or visit my page about local seashells.
seashell matching sheet
You can become more familiar with the different types of shells at my Types of Shells article which I wrote at the Wizzley writing site. Or peruse this blog where most of these shells have their own page of info.
This free, printable, page lists twelve common names of shells with the corresponding shell art along each side. Kids can draw a line to connect the picture with the name and then they can color the page.
Help With Worksheet Answers
Match the shells on the worksheet above as follows:
It’s time to sell our camper and downsize. It has me wondering about buying new vs. used. I’m all about saving money, and I could have saved a bundle buying used.
A couple of helpful ideas for keeping the camper in shape. While traveling, the fridge needs to stay shut! And, we cover our couch when the cats come along.
