Conch Shells

Ryan SparrowEducation 373

September 17, 2009

My Experience

• Over the summer, I went on vacation with my girlfriend’s family to Clearwater Beach, Florida. One morning, while walking the beach, I noticed many people digging around and collecting shells. Most of the new shells that were washed up overnight had been taken, except for a few of the bigger ones. I wanted to know why they weren’t being taken. When I picked one up I noticed that it still had something living in it. I wanted to know more about this particular shell and “animal”.

Questions

• What kind of shells were they?• What was living in the shell?• Why was it living in the shell?• Why do people collect these shells?

Connection With Indicators

• 4.2.5 Write descriptions of investigations, using observations and other evidence as support for explanations.

• 4.2.6 Support statements with facts found in print and electronic media, identify the sources used, and expect others to do the same.

• 4.4.3 Observe and describe that organisms interact with one another in various ways.

What kind of shells were they?

• To figure out what kind of shell I had, I checked out a book of shells. After identifying the shell as a Conch Shell, I was ready to learn more about it. Conch shells can grow up to 12 inches in length. In the U.S., they are found from the Carolinas and south. They live in shallow waters of tropical seas. This explains why they get washed up overnight. The most common conchs in Florida are fighting conchs.

Conch Shell

http://www.creativebeasts.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Conch_shell_2.jpg

What was living in the shell?

• After researching the shell, I learned that a snail lives inside of the shell. These snails have two long eye stalks protruding from the shell. The eyes have colorful rings. The snail has a “foot”, which helps it move by digging into the sand and “leaping” forward.

Snail in a Conch Shell

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strombus_alatus.jpg

Why was it living in the shell?

• I have always thought that when a snail grew bigger, it found a larger shell. When researching this, I found that a conch shell grows with the snail. The shell grows when the snail secretes calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is added to the outside of the shell to make it larger. This is why a conch spirals. The smallest spiral shows when the snail was the youngest. When the snail is fully mature, a thickened lip is produced on the outside. This is when the snail can reproduce.

Fully Mature Conch Shell

http://www.ic.edu.lb/library/projects/lord-of-the-flies/queen_conch_426.jpg

Why do people collect these shells?

• People collect these shells for a variety of reasons. The meat from the snail can be eaten and some musical instruments can be made out of the shell. Conch shells are also used for art, decoration, and in some religious ceremonies. The prized possession of the conch shell is the pearl that can sometimes be produced. The shell must be mature for a pearl to be produced.

Uses of Conch Shells

Art Religion/Instrument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Strombus2larcomuseum.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hindu_priest_blowing_conch_during_punja.jpg

Conch Shell Facts

• First fossil conch shell-65 million years old• Females lay eggs of about 500,000 embryos• Shell length increases 3 inches per year• Average life span is 6-10 years• Snail feeds at night• Great nutritional value and a high source of

protein as food

References

• Abbot, R. Tucker. (1968). Seashells of North America. New York, New York: Golden Press.

• Conch. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conch_shell

• Neptune’s Conch Facts (2003). http://www.neptunes.com/conchfacts.html

• Posell, Elsa Z. (1969). The Beginning Knowledge Book of Seashells. Toronto, Ontario: Rutledge Books, Inc.

• Snail. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snails