Identifying Seashells By Tammy Jones, hgtv.com
Part of the thrill of finding new shells and beach treasures is identifying them and learning more about how they came to be. There are several good web sites and books to rely on for this information. Check out these and then look at the resources below to do a little of your own investigative work. Click each of these images for a close-up look.
  banded tulip Fasciolaria hunteria Up to 3 inches long, not very common along beaches as the creature that lives inside prefers grassy bay flats. |  buttercup Anodontia alba Pale yellow and white, thick but slightly translucent, common on beaches and in shallow water, up to 2 inches long. |
 calico clam Macrocallista maculata Very smooth, shiny shell found on beaches and in shallow water, in shades of brown, rose, taupe and tan with darker rust/red spotting and white insides, up to 4 inches long. |  broad-ribbed cardita Carditamera floridana Commonly found along beaches about 1 inch long, can be a variety of colors. |
 Florida auger Terebra sp., fly-specked cerith and Florida cerith Cerithium sp. Common on beaches, various shades of tan, rust, brown, gray and white, up to 2 inches. |  channeled duck clam Raeta plicatella Very common on beaches, up to 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide at mouth. |
 channel whelk Busycon canaliculatum Not very common along beaches, smaller ones more common than large ones, can be up to 6 inches long and several inches across flat end. |  coquina Donax variabilis Very common along waters edge being eaten by seagulls, often found in pairs still connected like butterfly wings. (Note: Very often found both sides together and closed; in this case, the shell is still alive and should be left alone.) |
 A variety of common coral and barnacles that sometimes attach to shells along beaches. |  money cowrie Cypraea moneta and ring top cowrie Cypraea annulus Common on Indo-Pacific beaches in shallow water around coral reefs, most less than 1 inch long. |
 elegant dosinia Dosinia elegans In various shades of white, gray and pale yellow, common along beaches, up to 3 inches long. |  fighting conch Strombus alatusVery common on Gulf beaches in Florida, often with rich red and rust-colored exteriors and shiny interiors, up to 4 inches long. |
 jingles/jingle shells Anomia simplex Very common along the shore and in shallow water, very shiny and pearly, can be very brittle, mulitple layers, various shades of yellow, tan, peach, light green, white, clear, up to about 1-1/2 inch across. |  gaudy natica Natica canrena Common on beaches and in shallow water, up to 1-1/2 inches long, white with yellow and tan markings. |
 keyhole limpet Not very common, usually about an inch across and slightly longer in length, in various shades of green, black and gray with lighter undersides. |  kitten's paw Plicatula gibbosa Very common on beaches, usually white or gray with red/rust-colored shading and striping along knobby ridges, up to 1-1/2 inch across. |
 lettered olive Oliva sayana Commonly found along Gulf beaches in Florida, very smooth and shiny tightly curled shell, up to 3 inches long. |  lightning whelk Busycon contrarium One of only a few left-handed (left-facing) shells, not very common but can be very large, up to 15 inches long and as large on the flat end as an open hand. |
 turkey wing (zebra arc) Arca zebra Common on beaches, up to 4 inches long, rarely found in pairs still attached, various shades of brown, black, gray and dark green with light-colored undersides, very rough surface. |  apple murex Phyllonotus pomum Not very commonly found but more common than other murex shells, very spiny and intricate, up to 3 inches long. |
 razor or jack knife clam Ensis directus Very common on sand beaches, can be up to 6 inches long. |  Florida sand dollar |
 calico scallop Argopecten gibbus and Carolina Bay scallop Argopecten irradians Very common on beaches, in a variety of colors, up to 3 inches wide. |  Sea glass is simply pieces of glass from broken bottles in the sea that have been tumbled smooth and milky by the waves and sand. It can be found in a variety of colors but most often shades of light green, as that is the most common color of bottle glass in use today. |
 shark eye, moon snail Polinices duplicatus Very common on some beaches, up to 2 inches long, in a variety of colors from white, tan and gray to darker red and blue hues. |  slipper shell Crepidula fornicata Various shades of white, orange and rusty tans, common on the beach, up to 2 inches long. |
 spiny jewel box Arcinella arcinellaVery knobby white shell with pink and rosy peach undersides, common on beaches, up to 2 inches wide. |  fringed or starburst star shell Astraea sp. Spiraled shell with flat bottom, very textured and knobby but pearly under a thin crust, up to 1-1/2 inch wide. |
 sunray venus Macrocallista nimbosa Shiny, smooth shell in shades of taupe and brown with darker striping and white insides, up to 5 inches long. |  Van Hyning's cockle Dinocardium vanhyningi Smooth ribbed cup-like shell in various shades of orange/rust, white or creamy yellow, very common along the beach, hardly ever found in pairs, up to 5 inches across and very deep. |
 wentletrap Epitonium angulatum Very white nearly translucent shell with very defined chambers and an exterior "spine" common on beach at high tide, up to 1 inch long. |  worm shell Vermicularia fargoi Various light tan/rust shades as well as white, coiled in various densities, from about 1/2 inch up to several inches long, hollow. |
Resources National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells
by Harold A. Rehder (ISBN: 0394519132)
Order this title.
seashell identification resources
Jacksonville Shell Club
URL: www.jaxshells.org
Compendium of Seashells
by R. Tucker Abbott, S. Peter Dance (ISBN: 0966172000)
Order this title.
The Art of Shelling: A Complete Guide...
by Chuck Robinson, Debbie Robinson (ISBN: 0964726785)
Complete title: "The Art of Shelling: A Complete Guide to Finding Shells and Other Beach Collectibles at Shelling Locations from Florida to Maine"
Order this title.
The Encyclopedia of Shells
by Kenneth R. Wye (ISBN: 0785812334)
Order this title.
The World's Most Beautiful Seashells
by Leonard Hill, Pete Carmichael (photographer) (ISBN: 1884942008)
Order this title.
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