Shells

The Fossil Conch and its Barnacles

During a recent Sanibel Shell Club field trip to a fossil pit in Punta Gorda (Charlotte County, Florida) led by Florida Museum’s own Roger Portell, Sabine Pratsch found this large but damaged Lobatus leidyi shell. Adult shells of this fossil species have a flared outer lip (like a Milk or Queen Conch), but this adult shell apparently had its flared outer lip broken off at some point. But what is really interesting about the shell is that a few barnacles were able to grow onto it (arrows), in the

Shells of the World: A Natural History

Dr M.G. “Jerry” Harasewych is a research zoologist emeritus and former curator of mollusks at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. He is also the author of several books on shells and a former member of the National Shell Museum and Aquarium board of trustees. His latest creation is a volume covering the great diversity found in the phylum Mollusca, showing examples from all molluscan classes. The illustrations are fantastic, and the natural history information, inclu

A Beautiful Day at Lighthouse Beach!

I had a great early-morning beach walk on Valentine’s Day at Sanibel’s Lighthouse Beach with journalists Andrew West and Mark Bickel, working on a Fort Myers News-Press article about mollusks and shelling. The clam shells in the photo above, mostly Disk Dosinias, Calico Scallops, and Giant Cockles were being moved by miniature waves, one by one, from the water to that wrack line! We could actually see (and discuss) the process of shells coming ashore just before our eyes! It was a beautiful day,

Southwest Florida Shells Guide Remodeled!

The National Shell Museum is proud to announce that, as of January 1, 2024, a new version of its Shell Guide has been released. The online guide was created and is maintained by the Museum’s Science Director and Curator Dr José H. Leal. It currently features 401 species of shallow-water marine mollusks from the area between Tampa Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands. “Southwest Florida Shells” has been for many years the main identification resource used for the area by marine biologists, conservati

Shell of the Week: The Measled Cowrie

Macrocypraea zebra is one of the few species of cowries found in the western Atlantic. Its shell may grow to 133 mm (inches). The species has a very large latitudinal (north to south) distribution, occurring from North Carolina in the USA to Santa Catarina State in Brazil. The Measled Cowrie has a distinctive color pattern of white spots superimposed on an underlying pattern of spiral bands. The spiral bands are seen clearly in images B and C (below), which show shells at two different juvenile

a model squid

Giant Squid Body Lift

One of the first tangible results of our renovation efforts at the National Shell Museum was the makeover of our Giant Squid model. The reduced-size replica of Architeuthis dux was hanging from the very tall ceiling of the Great Hall of Shells, probably too high for proper enjoyment, as visitors had to bend their necks to see the squid in its full glory. The model was restored by exhibit designer Raymond Rawls, of Gainesville, Florida. Raymond repaired arms and tentacles, applied new coats of (m

She’s Got Giant Squid Eyes!

As part of the National Shell Museum renovation process, our Giant Squid model will be receiving a facelift. The squid was added to the Museum’s Great Hall of Shell in the late 1990s, there is inevitable wear and tear, and so much more has been learned about the species (Architeuthis dux) in the last two decades. The model will receive a new paint job, arms will be re-attached, and new, more realistic eyes will be added. Giant Squids may attain 40 feet in length, and their complex, vertebrate-li

Green Mussels on Marco Island

National Shell Museum collaborator Amy Tripp recently sent this great photo of a few Green Mussels, Perna viridis, on a dock piling at the south end of Marco Island. Young Green Mussels have a brilliant green color, and adult shells, reaching as much as 4 inches, are brownish with bright-green margins.The Green Mussel originates from the Indo-West Pacific region, but was introduced, probably via ship hulls and/or ballast water, to the western Atlantic Ocean and other coastal waters of the world’

Shell of the Week: The Giant False Coquina

Iphigenia brasiliensis belongs to the coquina family, the Donacidae. Its shell reaches 66 mm (about 2.6 inches) and resembles a larger version of the local (in Florida) Variable Coquina, Donax variabilis. Its shell has a thin, smooth, light-brown periostracum (the outer layer). The wedge-shape of coquina shells help during quick burrowing in the sand. The species inhabits estuarine areas in Florida, teh Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean south to southern Brazil. #iphigeniabrasiliensis #iphigenia

Southwest Florida Shells

There are millions of mollusks living offshore along Southwest Florida’s shallow, 80-mile-wide continental shelf (the part of the continent under water). When cold winter winds from the north or northwest blow in the Gulf of Mexico, the water moves in directions that drive many mollusks (or empty shells) onto the shore. The effect is enhanced along barrier islands such as Sanibel, Captiva, Cayo Costa, and south to Fort Myers Beach, Keewaydin, Marco, Kice, and the Ten Thousand Islands. In the su