Smooth Duck Clam anatina

Smooth Duck Clam with False Striped Limpets

I see a lot of CLAM shells every day I’m on the beach but this one I found at Blind Pat’s (….oops! I mean Blind Pass. ;) ) was a little different from the usual clam shells like the DOSINIAS, CALICO VENUSES  or SEMELES.

Smooth duck Clam

Smooth Duck Clams

At first I thought it was just gunk stuck on the edge of this shell but I didn’t want to do anything to it since it seemed so fragile. Once I got home, I could see that this thin shell was a SMOOTH DUCK CLAM and that “gunk” was a nice little ridge on the side of it that makes it different from its “sister shell”  the CHANNELED DUCK CLAM I call a SAILOR’S EAR. I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a SMOOTH DUCK CLAM before (I don’t think it’s too common in South Florida but I may have just never noticed) but we frequently see the SAILORS EARS on the beach so I can’t believe I’ve never shown this one before.

Channeled Duck Clam Sailor's ear

Channeled Duck Clam aka- Sailor's Ear

See? Doesn’t that look familiar?  I found the SMOOTH DUCK CLAMS in the shell line on the pass side of the jetty rocks this week.

shell line blind pass captiiva

I found the CHANNELED DUCK CLAMS in my stash of shells that Clark and I have been trying to organize. I’ve been overwhelmed by all the shells in our garage that have never been cleaned and sorted so this is our project this week. Organize! We don’t bring home many shells any more but some times…. you know how it is. We just can’t help it.

organizing shells