WHELK SHELLS

Sinistrofulgur perversum, commonly known as the lightning whelk or Florida Whelk, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Busyconidae. This species is notable for its left-handed, or sinistral, shell. Its diet primarily consists of bivalves.

This marine species is native to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and southeastern North America, from New Jersey south to Florida and the Gulf states.

Lightning whelks are typically found in the sandy or muddy bottoms of shallow inlets.

This species of whelk primarily consumes marine bivalves, utilizing its proboscis to ingest their soft tissues.

A proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elongated nose or snout.

For millennia, Native Americans have utilized these animals for sustenance and crafted their shells into tools, ornaments, containers, and jewelry such as shell gorgets. The Indigenous peoples of Florida, for instance, repurposed their shells into hammers, axes, and cups, with archaeologists in Florida comparing them to Swiss Army knives due to their multifunctionality. It is also posited that the sinistral characteristic of the lightning whelk shell was considered sacred.

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Subclass: Caenogastropoda

Order: Neogastropoda

Family: Busyconidae

Genus: Sinistrofulgur

Species: Sinistrofulgur perversum

Binomial name: Sinistrofulgur perversum

(Linnaeus, 1758)

(REF: J. Wise, M. G. Harasewych, R. T. Dillon Jr. (2004). Population divergence in the sinistral whelks of North America, with special reference to the east Florida ecotone)(REF: Sartori, A. (2014). Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840). World Register of Marine Species.)(REF: "Archaeological Shells of Florida" (PDF). Florida Public Archaeology Network.)(REF:Pulley, T.E. 1959 Busycon perversum (Linné) and some related species. Rice Institute Pamphlet, 46)(REF:Wise, J.B., G. Harasewych, & R. Dillon. 2004. Population divergence in the sinistral Busycon whelks of North America, with special reference to the east Florida ecotone. Marine Biology, 145)

N1-6

A Florida Whelk Shell measuring 6 to 7 inches ...... $6.75

N2-6

A Florida Whelk Shell measuring 7 to 8 inches ...... $8.49

N3-6

A Florida Whelk Shell measuring 8 to 9 inches ...... OUT OF STOCK

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