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Shells that Look Alike: About The Tulips

Tulip shells are pretty shells with splotches of reddish-brown, orange or dark maroon pink color. Both the True tulip and Banded tulip have horizontal lines on the shell surface.

About the Tulip Shells

This Banded Tulip (Fasciolaria ilium) was found at a construction site near the water. I assume that over the years as sand was moved around the shell ended up inland. This is the only tulip shell in my collection.

banded tulip shell — Banded Tulip Shell – 2.5 inches

tulip shells — Tulip shells – both have hermit crabs inside.

Screen Shot 2018-02-23 at 8.40.54 AM — This is how they look underwater in the wild. I found these two together (hermit crabs inside) with the smaller riding piggy-back on the larger.

Screen Shot 2018-02-23 at 8.41.05 AM — The gorgeous color of a true tulip shell

The True Tulip (Fasciolaria tulipa) is one of the bigger shells I see out on the islands. I was out boating recently when I found the two shells in the pictures above.

The one I am holding in the picture below measured around 6 inches long, although my seashell ID book says they grow to only 5 inches. I found it in the backwater of the Indian River near an oyster bed at low tide. It had an oyster shell attached inside, and was home to a hermit crab. These photos show some of it’s color beneath all that muck, and the size. It was a beauty.

Even in these less desirable states, the markings on the shells obviously differ. The lines (bands) going around the True Tulip (smaller shell in photos above) whereas the shell below is much more splotchy. If I’d been able to collect it, the colors after cleaning would have been beautiful.

big true tulip seashell — Big True Tulip Shell, about 6 inches long

The shape of the shells are similar, but the True grows larger. The True has ridges at the top of each whorl and the lines are not as distinct and wide-set. This one will eat the Banded.

Both types of tulips live on sand, and there is plenty of that around here. I see the True more than I see the Banded, but don’t have one in my collection. Because they are the perfect home for hermit crabs, I was excited to find an empty shell once and brought it home, but then….read more.

I found this amazing video made by Pam Rambo who writes the blog “i love shelling”. She lives on Sanibel Island, and when you watch her video, you will see why it’s one of the best places in the world for shell collecting. All those shells……!!!!!!!

On Sanibel Island (Florida’s Gulf coast) she can find more beautiful shells in one day than I will find in a lifetime of beach combing over here on the East coast.

I go nuts over finding one Dosinia shell (the white bivalves in her video), and she bypasses tons of them! The black shells are pen shells, and she even sees starfish (sea stars) on shore. In her video you will see lots of tulips, alive and not, and watch her add some beauties to her collection (which must be huge). Apparently empty seashells outnumber the hermit crabs in Sanibel.

The Beautiful Florida Fighting Conch

A post, with pictures, about the Florida Fighting Conch seashell.

One of my favorite shells to see up close is the Fighting Conch, or the Florida Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus) as it’s known. It is in the family Strombidae.

The Fighting Conch can be found on all Florida shorelines, but they prefer sandy, shallow water where wave action is minimal. That’s exactly the type of place I discovered this one.

Before I came across this living mollusk, I had collected an empty fighting conch shell while visiting Sanibel Island. On the Gulf coast, this shell is more common than where I am on the East coast.

So what is a conch shell? (Pronounced “konk”) By definition it is a large, spiral-shaped seashell. It is big, but thicker and heavier than other gastropods, like the whelks. The conch is the living creature inside which is sometimes harvested to eat. Conch is on the menu in many tropical based restaurants, and the meat can be from any large gastropod shell.

I’ve also come across a broken and worn Fighting Conch shell with a hermit crab inside. This happened while exploring another similar type of island.

broken fighting conch — Broken Fighting Conch Shell with Hermit Crab Inside

Recently, I was lucky enough to come across this living Fighting Conch while walking the beach of an island in the Indian River. I didn’t think to measure it, but I’d estimate it’s length to be around 4 inches, and they don’t get much bigger, according to my seashell reference book.

Fighting conch shell with mollusk inside — The Beautiful Fighting Conch – this one is alive.

The chunky, wide-bodied shell, with a more compact spire, is a giveaway as to the name of this one. It is known to “fight” or jump at other shells that could be a danger to it, hence the “fighting” name.

Look at the beautiful colors on the shell! From the dark purple with orange edges underneath at the aperture, to the light purple on top (it’s spire), even though this one has some green algae and a few barnacles, it was a lovely sight to behold. I couldn’t help but wonder how beautiful it would have been all cleaned up.

florida fighting conch and mollusk — Living Florida Fighting Conch – view of the mollusk inside

I saw this shell up on the sand at an island out on the Indian River. I picked it up hoping it was empty so I could take it home, but found a living conch inside. A fun surprise (at least it wasn’t a hermit crab!)

I took it to the boat to show my son – how often do you find something so awesome? I got my iPhone to take these pictures, and then left it in the shallow water which is it’s home.

My video of this living conch shell. Somehow it ended up in Slow-motion (I am not tech savvy), which shows the sea water slowly coming in around the shell.

If you are ever tempted to try “conch” when out to eat at a Florida restaurant, this is the type of thing you are eating. The living shells are collected and the animal is pulled out and cooked.

I offer a free, downloadable coloring page of the Florida Fighting Conch.

I’ve found other living mollusks while out boating. This big horse conch was pretty cool, and even a little pear whelk with the mollusk inside.

The Pink conch (or Queen conch) is a threatened species due to over-harvesting. For this same reason I no longer buy seashells from gift shops or shell shops. When I am walking the beach, or visiting these islands out on the river, I always only collect empty seashells.

Jellyfish Found in Florida

Lion's mane jellyfish — Lion’s mane jellyfish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many ways to enjoy the beach and there are some things at the beach that can ruin your fun too. One reason we love being near the ocean is that it is ever changing. From the tides coming and going, to the creatures we see walking the shoreline there is always something new to see. And some days there will be jellyfish to contend with.

They are not something we really want to swim with at the ocean, but some jellyfish found on Florida beach shores are harmless. In fact the clear blobs that look like a lump of transparent jelly are actually part of the former jellyfish. The mesoglea, as it is called is the part of the jellyfish that was the “bell” shape on top.

Also the “moon jellies” are round, flat and clear, and the other type you may see is the Cannonball jelly. It has a clear bell attached which is yellow to brown. Ovate comb jellies can be seen glowing in the surf at nighttime if you are lucky enough to see them.

It’s best not to touch any jellyfish if you aren’t sure what it is. Some can still sting you after they are dead. The huge Lion’s Mane jellyfish is one that can do so, but it prefers cold water so you would only encounter it dead in Florida – my guess. I’ve been stung, by something, while swimming and had welts all up the back of my leg. I never saw the jellyfish though.

Check out this video of divers who found a Lion’s Mane jelly.