When checking past segments of the “Shell of the Week”, I realized that it has been a long time since we chatted about the unforgettable Scotch Bonnet (Semicassis granulata)! Normally reaching around 40–55 mm (approximately 1.6–2.2 inches), but with a maximum recorded length of 121 mm (4.76 inches), Scotch Bonnets are easily recognizable by their egg-shaped shells with engraved net-like lines and a regular pattern of squarish orange, or brown spots.
The early growth of Scotch Bonnets includes pelagic (open-water) larval stages, which can be passively carried by ocean currents. Adults feed on echinoderms such as sand dollars, sea biscuits, and sea urchins, by drilling into their tests (“shells”) using a sulfuric acid secretion. The species lives offshore from North Carolina to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico. And it is the State Shell of North Carolina!
