Photos of a living horse conch living in the shallows of the Indian River Lagoon.
Another beautiful day out on the water brought some nice finds. This beautiful living horse conch was crawling along the sandy flats. I picked it up briefly to get a few photos. It was a gorgeous orange snail. The shell was muddy and not so pretty, as is usually the case.
This is the area where this mollusk lives. The water temperature was around 86 degrees F. Air temperature was close to 100. Very few boats came by and we were all alone.
Today we went out on the boat. It’s been a while since we’ve gone out because the weather has cooled off. We weren’t out for long, and stopped at some favorite beaches because the tide was out.
There wasn’t much to see, and then … there it was! A living horse conch. The bright orange snail was hanging out of the shell and I could see the operculum – the hard part that covers the opening when the conch goes back into it’s shell.
Click on the photos and they will enlarge.
Low tide is the best time to search for interesting sea life, but on Three Sisters there wasn’t much. Also the ground was very muddy and slippery. Water temp is only 67 degrees now (January) so we don’t swim this time of year. It was sunny and warm because there wasn’t much of a breeze.
It’s not the first time I’ve come across a living horse conch out on these muddy flats. I never get tired of seeing them and admiring their beauty. This one was only around 10 inches long. They can grow to be twice this size!
The snail did not move at all as I approached, and I hoped it wasn’t dead. After I took a few photos, I gently lifted the back end and sure enough it began to move, so I left it alone.
The shell of the conch was encrusted with barnacles and other things. When the tide comes back in, he will be just underwater, I suspect. This little island is off the beaten path, but there were markings of boats pulling up.
Why is it a problem for you to let your dog run off-leash in a campground? Or on trails near the campground? Read this post if you think it’s okay for dogs to do this.
Camping in our RV at Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka, Florida, with our cat Skittle.
One day I had the inspiration to draw and a vine covered mailbox came to mind. Now I sell the image on various products in my Zazzle store.
Custom Thanksgiving cards to mail or share online. Unique designs created by independent designers mean you are supporting a small business with your purchase.
Zazzle introduced a Z-rank a few years ago and designers went nuts trying to improve their ranking. The scale goes from 1-10, with ten being the best. I believe that designers hoped that a higher number…
Text and photo templates can, and should, be added to nearly every Zazzle product you sell.
Photos and info about the Pear whelk, or Fig whelk, seashell which I find regularly when out on the boat.
Pear whelks (Busycotypus spiratus) are cute little seashells and they can be colorful. They resemble the lightning whelk, before it grows big. But the Pear whelk has it’s opening on the right side, like most gastropods. This one is also called a Fig whelk and it’s max length is 5.5 inches. In Florida it is common along any shoreline.
In this first photo you can see the operculum (trap door) which is a hard piece that closes the mollusk up inside it’s home. The snail is beginning to come out of the shell because I picked it up from the shelly bottom where he had been resting quietly.
I expected to see a hermit crab inside, and was delighted to see the creature who made the shell instead. This water is very shallow as you can probably tell, so he was living close to shore. I snapped this shot and put him back down without bothering him further.
Above: Found this pear whelk while walking along a deserted beach in the backwater area of the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). I’m guessing they prefer the calmer waters near the islands and that is why I never find them along the ocean beach.
In the photo below you can see how shells can look in the wild. They are not all that pretty when covered in mud and slime. I knew the type by the shape of the shell. Yup, hermit crab inside.
I’ve never collected one of these shells because every one I’ve encountered (except for the live one in my first photo on this page) has been inhabited by a hermit crab! The shells are small and easy to carry on the back of the crab.
I just loved the pretty yellow color of this Pear. It stood out among the muddy bottom. It was moving along on the back of it’s new owner. Can you guess? Haha!
Below you can see the crab peeking out. This is what I often encounter. I think there are more hermit crabs in my area than there are seashells!
Small shells like these are not the only place you will find hermit crabs. I recently pulled up a beautiful big knobbed whelk with such an owner.
