Tag: types of shells

Why Are You Interested In Seashells?

When I began writing this blog about seashells I did so hoping to sell paper products containing my seashell photography, like the card below. I lived in New Hampshire at the time, which is funny because my shells had been collected when I lived in Florida. But my Zazzle business, and especially my seashell and beach-related store, needed promoting and I figured a blog was the way to go. What I discovered right away was that my blog was turning into something else.

In the beginning I wanted to promote my store.

The blog quickly became a learning experience.

People reading my blog wanted information about seashells. At the time I knew very little about the shells I had randomly collected while living in Florida. Now, it was time to learn. For some reason I had never thought much about how those empty shells got there or where they came from. The mollusks, or sea snails, which made them were amazing creatures. I wanted to share what I learned with others who wanted to know.

Big horse conch seashells found locally
Two horse conch shells and Skittle the cat

A move back south made writing easier.

The first years of writing were spent in the North, far from tropical beaches, but now that I am once again in Florida, writing has become easier. It’s always better when you have access to the subject. With the purchase of our boat, I have even better access to remote spots where I may come across fun nature photos to share. And I have my camera with me in the form of the iPhone now too.

shells in the sand
The wind was covering, or maybe uncovering, shells along the beach

Discovering local species is most exciting.

Starfish and sand dollars were my first focus because it was easy to find information about them, and I knew what they were called! It’s been a journey, and I’ve made mistakes along the way, but my writing has improved and so has my knowledge of marine snails and the homes they carry on their backs.

Large living tulip shell with Mollusk inside, found in the backwaters of the Indian River in New Smyrna Beach / Edgewater area
My guesstimate at the size of this living tulip is 7 inches in length. It’s a biggie!

Getting out in the Florida wilderness.

Now I would say that I am interested in shells because their lives fascinate me. Sizes, shapes and colors of seashells vary because of the snail which made them. I am lucky enough to get to see those living creatures now and then and share photos here on my blog. Usually I have far too many photos to deal with and not enough time to write, but it’s fun. I hope my readers can learn something which makes them appreciate the beauty of shells.

The Interesting Iridescent Pen Shell

pen shells
Pen Shells Found in Florida

Pen shells (family Pinnidae) are usually gray or brown in color with an iridescent sheen.  They are long and tapered in a triangular shape and most of the ones I’ve seen were on the east coast beaches in Florida.

They can be huge!  My resource book says up to thirty-one inches in length!   But many are found broken since they are a bit more fragile than an ordinary seashell.

The varieties found in Florida  include the Saw-toothed pen shell, Stiff pen shell and Amber pen shell.  The ones pictured here (photo by me) look like saw-toothed as they are smoother than the Stiff pen shell  which has ridges with spines.  Amber pen shells are lighter in color (hence the name).

Flag pen shells are wide and rounded on top and are found in the Indio-Pacific region.

The Noble Pen Shell (Pinna nobilis) has an unlikely history. It’s byssal threads (which anchor the shell in the sand when alive) were once used to make fabric. The threads were woven together to make what was known as “sea silk”. This large shell is found in the Mediterranean region and is in danger of extinction due to over use, pollution and decline in places for it to survive.

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Identifying Your Seashells, Where to Start?

How to identify the seashell you collect.

picture of tropical seashells collection
Some of my Florida seashells

You’ve just returned home from a vacation at the beach and each day you added to your collection of treasures amassed from walks along the shore. As you clean the shells and carefully add them to a glass bowl, you begin to wonder just what they are called.  Is it possible there is a rare seashell in your bucket?  To begin a search for names of shells, I have a few pointers to pass on.

Besides this blog, I have written an article about Types of Shells where I include photos and descriptions of some of my seashells.  I am not a seashell expert, so although I will try to help you identify something, I usually find helpful information in my favorite seashell ID books.

bookMy favorite Florida beaches ID book is Florida’s Living Beaches by Blair and Dawn Witherington.  It covers more than seashells because Florida beaches also contain bugs, birds, turtles, driftwood, sea glass, animal tracks, flowers, plants, dunes, and even rocks.  It is a complete beachcombing guide.

Most people don’t realize the abundant variety of shells out there. To make it easier to identify the shell in your possession, first narrow down the field. If you search for “seashells” you will be overwhelmed – mostly with photos and not too much info. The truth is that most people love seashells but that is where it stops. Most, I believe, don’t ever give much thought to what lived inside and how the shell was created, or how it got to the spot where you picked it up, much less what it might be called.  So photos online will be easy to find, but where is that picture (and info) you need to identify what you have?

Gastropod or Bivalve?

The first thing I suggest when searching online is to narrow the field by searching for either “gastropod” or “bi-valve“. If your shell was made all in one piece it is a gastropod (univalve), and if it’s in two sections hitched together, like a clam, (even if you only have one half) then it’s a bi-valve. That should give you a bunch of pictures to view. Also mention where it was found.

old worn conch and whelk shells
Worn horse conch and two broken knobbed whelks

Sometimes shells with the same name will vary in appearance.  For instance, the gastropod you found may be a juvenile (baby seashell) and doesn’t look at all like the large shell it would have grown into.   See my Lightning Whelk picture, with mature and juvenile  shells side by side.  It took me a while to figure out what that little one was!

Scallops and clams are found in a variety of colors and sizes as are many other types of shells. Shells which are covered in periostracum (a flaky black substance) may look nothing like the beautiful photos you find online.  And shells that have been worn, broken and filled with tiny holes (like my photo above) may be tough to identify.

Search Using the Scientific Name of the Shell

I suggest buying a good seashell identification book.  Buy one that is specific to your area, or the area you plan to visit, because the same types of shells are not always found everywhere in the world. The great thing about having a book to reference is that it should give you the scientific name of the shells.  The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells (National Audubon Society Field Guides) is the book I started with.   Once you find the scientific name of a shell, it’s easier to search online for a picture.

The more you learn about seashells, the less you will take them for granted, and the more you will appreciate each shell you collect for the diverse and amazing animal that created it.