There are four types of Whelk shell that I run into when beachcombing Cape Hatteras National Seashore:  the knobbed whelk, the pear whelk, the channel whelk, and the lightning whelk.  This is a Lightning Whelk shell.  Similar to knobbed whelks in appearance, it’s only when I turn the shell over that I can begin to guess at names.  The Lightning Whelk is left-handed, or sinistral:  it’s aperture, or opening, is on the left.

From my limited experience beachcombing, I would say that Lightning Whelks have the most varied coloring of the bunch.  This Lightning Whelk shell was a beautiful calico pattern of yellows, blues, and blacks.  I’m not sure if this observation of color variation has any merit, but the knobbed, channel, and pear whelks that I typically find tend more towards a singular color palette.

Lightning Whelk shells also tend to have smaller knobs and a shorter spire than the knobbed whelk shells.  Channel and Pear Whelks are fairly easy to recognize because the design and shape of their spires differ substantially from the Knobbed and Lightning Whelks.

All of the Whelk shells are considerable in size and weight.  When my sister and I began beachcombing our bags would quickly become too heavy to carry from picking up these guys!  I don’t particularly like to keep or collect shells.  However, I do enjoy photographing them and then leaving them for others to enjoy.  So, I’m pretty selective on which Whelk shells I pick up nowadays.  I’m always looking for unique coloring or shapes that might make neat photographs.  I’ll typically take a bag of shells I’ve found throughout a week or so of beachcombing back to the nearshore on a beneficial weather day, spend a few hours photographing, and then disperse the shells back to the beach for the next individual who wants to pay their respects.

Do you practice catch and release with shells?  Do you pick up the Whelks, or are they too big to carry?

Camera:  Nikon D810
Lens:  Nikkor 60mm micro f2.8 @ 60mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  January 23, 2020
Settings:  f14, 1/20 second, iso-64