I spied thousands of ARKS at Gulfside City Park on Sanibel Island this morning. Most days you can find TRANSVERSE ARKS scattered along the beach since they are one of the most common shells on Sanibel. There are a few different species of ARKS so let me show you the difference. Top row left to right- a MOSSY ARK and a TURKEY WING. Bottom row left to right- CUT-RIBBED ARK, TRANSVERSE ARK and a PONDEROUS ARK. It's a little easier to identify bivalves and see the difference (and the likeness) between them by looking at the interior of the shell. I only had a few minutes to walk the beach today so I just wanted to look for minis in some of the wrack lines I pointed out the other day in my Shelling 101 video. I found TUSK SHELLS (there were thousands of those too), a KEYHOLE LIMPET, WENTLETRAPS, CERITHS, AUGERS, a TURRID, juvie CONCHS, juvie OLIVE, and a piece of CORAL. I also found a somewhat beat up LINEATE DOVE SNAIL. If you need any help identifying any of these shells, …
Mossy Ark
Shelling Day Trip From Sanibel To Bonita Beach
This past weekend we drove 35 minutes from Sanibel to Little Hickory Beach in Bonita Springs, Florida in search of seashells. Walking north to the pass from the public parking lot (a bargain price of $2 for 2 hours) only took about 15 minutes to find loads of FIGHTING CONCHS. After a few minutes more, Clark found a SAND DOLLAR... I couldn't get over how many MOSSY ARKS were washed up on the beach mixed in with a few pieces of CORAL and my fave of all faves... WORM SHELLS! They were only tips of WORMIES but any piece is a good piece in my book. I don't think I have ever seen so many MOSSY ARKS in one place on any beach before so I gathered a few together to show you exactly what they look like. I know, I know.... not the prettiest of shells but I don't see them all that often on Sanibel so I was intrigued with them. Did I read your mind and know that it reminds you of another shell? It looks like the TURKEY WING! The TURKEY WING and the MOSSY are both ARK shells …
