Identify Your Shelling Finds

No one can deny the appeal of wandering a deserted beach in search of shells. Join in this favored pastime, and learn the difference between the “Sanibel Stoop" and the “Captiva Crouch." Here is a small sample of the 400 species of shells found on The Beaches of Fort Myers &Sanibel, where cones, volutes, bivalves and olives decorate the shores.

Alphabet cone

Conus spurius
Color: cream to white with rows of orange to light brown spots.

Apple murex

Chicoreus pomum
A thick, heavy shell with a rough tan-to-brown surface.

Angel wing

Cyrtopleura costata
After storms, loose valves wash ashore on Gulf beaches.

Atlantic calico scallop

Argopecten gibbus
Upper valve is lighter in color than lower and has orange, pink or brown markings.

Common nutmeg

Cancellaria reticulate
Albinos are not uncommon.

Atlantic giant cockle

Dinocardium robustum
Color: pale tan to yellowish-brown with irregular mottling.

Florida fighting conch

Strombus alatus
Color: extremely variable – orange, reddish-brown to dark mahogany.

Common jingle shell

Anomia simplex
Colors: white, yellow, orange, silver-grey or blackish.

Junonia

Scaphella junonia
Once-in-a-lifetime find.

Horse conch

Triplofusus giganteus
Florida State Shell; “knobless wonder" found in Southwest Florida waters.

Lettered olive

Oliva sayana
Light tan to light grey with darker brown, tent-like markings.

Lion’s paw

Lyropecten nodosus
Rare deep-water species; halves wash up on the beach after storms.

Lightning whelk

Busycon sinistrum
Very common on mud flats and bays.

True tulip

Fasciolaria tulipa
Found in seagrass bottoms and on sand flats.

Shark eye

Neverita duplicata
Color: greyish to nearly white.

Sunray venus

Macrocallista nimbosa
Found on sandy bottoms.