Shell Yeah!

Florida beaches are a paradise to shell collectors and beach combers.  Because of the wide variety of mollusk creatures within the region, there is an abundance of beautiful shells to be found all along the coast.  The best times of day to hunt down shells is typically after a high tide or after a storm.  Your greatest chances of finding them are also usually during winter months, especially early in the morning.  The following is a guide of some popular shells found on Florida beaches.

Conch: 

 

• while alive, the shell is bright orange, but fades over time in the sun
• fighting conchs are the most commonly found
• conch harvesting is now illegal

Ceriths:

• also known as horned shells
• vary in size and ornament
• most common varieties include Varicose, Grass, Dark, Stocky, Flock Speck, and West Indian False

Junonia:

• greatly prized for its beauty and rarity
• milky chamber covered with distinctive brown spots
• animal that occupies shell is likely marked 

Worm Snail:

• looks like spaghetti stuck to a rock
• sometimes billions of worm tubes can build an actual reef
• an example is a barrier formed around a group of small islands called Ten Thousand Islands 

Lightning Whelk:

• grow up to 16 inches long
• used by early island natives for both food and tools, most commonly as lamps
• has a left-handed or sinistral shell 

 Spotted Slipper:

• often called "boat shells"
• after two years of floating loose they eventually attach themselves to rocks or other shells 

 Cockle:

• one of the most common found, although rare in other parts of the world
• the cockle mollusk is a footed creature that can jump several inches in a single leap
• can be large in size 

Keyhole Limpet:

• there are 35 different species and subspecies of limpets found in North America
• this one in particular has an opening in the top of the shell
• conical or cap shaped without spiral whirls 

Turkey Wing:

•  their unique shape make them easy to identify because they look like outstretched bird wings
• around 2 inches long, oblong, with one side more or less straight

Sand Dollar:

• while alive, the sand dollar is thin, flat, brown, and bristled with tiny tubes that allow it to breath, move and camouflage itself
• once exposed to the sun it will bleach to white with a textured pattern

For more information about shells and the location visited today click here!
https://2fla.com/Florida_Shells
http://bahiahondapark.com/