State Shell

Florida State Shell- Horse Conch

Horse conch is the largest shells and is the mostly available in the world. Horse conch is carnivores and also the Florida’s state shell. It feeds chiefly on bigger shells such as Tulip shell, Lightning whelk and Lace Murex, and on the bivalve pen shells. It attacks further shells by forcefully holding on the victim stopping it from closing the orifice, the conch then inserts and eats supple part of the pray. The egg heaps originates on sand and consists of clusters that have flat ridges on the exterior portion.

The Horse conch is usually 10.2-48.3 cm high. Spindle-shaped, huge, with a lengthen, conical spire; whitish-yellow, orange, or brown; roofed with a thin brown enclosure. This outsized snail may reach a measurement lengthwise of about 24 inches. The young have a pale shell orange in color with a slim brown jacket. In adults the brown wrapper thickens and becomes an apparent aspect coating the shell. It produces unique capsules of eggs that are close to a firm plane.

The horse conch is a rapacious carnivore and feeds on further shells, as well as oysters. The wide, broad lip is used to chip a hole in the prey’s crust and permit that to be inserted.

It is found on both coasts of Florida under the depth of 100 feet. It ranges right through the Texas and Mexico and southern United States, but is more frequent in Florida.
The horse conch so was chosen the state shell of Florida. The alias of this shell was the direct result of the pains of members of the Palm Beach County Shell Club. The ensuing Bill was officialized and next signed into law by then Governor. Representatives gave much recognition for passage of the bill for work in providing shells (and information about the species) to the desk of each lawmaker on the day the bill appeared on the calendar for ballot.