The allure of the seashell collection is due, in large part, to the extremely wide range of their different colors and shapes. There are several hundred varieties of seashells found all over the world. In just one visit to the beach, you can see cockles, clams, conches and live mollusks, to name a few. Knowing a few basic tips will help you identify the typos that you will discover.
The allure of the seashell collection is due, in large part, to the extremely wide range of their different colors and shapes. There are several hundred varieties of seashells found all over the world. In just one visit to the beach, you can see cockles, clams, conches and live mollusks, to name a few. Knowing a few basic tips will help you identify the typos that you will discover.
- Learn about mollusks, the living creatures under those hard, shield-like seashells. Molluscs can be found in salt and water or on the ground (also known as a snail). Over the centuries of evolution, different mollusks have developed seashells to precisely reflect their life cycles, eating habits and size.
- Explore other families such as the echinoidea (or sand dollar). Although very beautiful when a shell dead, while living a sand dollar moves through small thorns on the body look hairy.
- Visit the Top Seashells website to study the many varieties of seashells (see Resources below). Conu and calliotectum are typical of the seashells that you see at the beach you will find on this site. Click on the ‘Identification’ tab to get the breakdown of information on the shells. You will be able to get the name and select ‘identify’ to find out where the starfish is normally found.
- Identify other popular typos. The conch has an outer lip feature with a rounded notch near the lower end. Hulls have radial ribs, ridges and colored bands. Shells of a pearly, iridescent sheen are in the family basket, like a red lasaea.
- Obtain the ‘National Audubon Society Field Guide to Cockles’ from Amazon to see photos of hundreds of shells sorted by color and size (see Resources below). It’s a good little guide to take to the beach.
- Know the different shapes to identify shells. A cerith has a pointed at the top, while the a shell has a fan like shape. Helmet shells are generally triangular and short.
Tips & Warnings
- Keep a laptop computer when you are collecting seashells to help you identify them later. File where they are found, how they are positioned and if they have any creatures or wildlife attached.
- Look for the defense of the shells (scaphopods) which have narrow tube – like seashells which are open at both ends. This popular shell can represent over 350 different species.
- Visit a seashell museum to identify the different types of seashells. There are several in the United States along with seashells displayed in major museums of natural history.
Visit this website to learn more about seashells with pictures:
http://naplesseashellcompany.com/shell-types.html
