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"Shells start with a sperm and an egg, like other animals we're more familiar with. After fertilization, a little tiny larvae grows into a young mollusk, and the shell begins growing very early." SOURCE: José Leal, a marine biologist and director of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island, Florida. www.shellmuseum.org/ "Mollusks can make shells because their blood is rich in liquid calcium. They concentrate the calcium in areas and separate it from the blood, forming calcium carbonate crystals. The crystals are deposited in layers of varying size, shape and orientation. The layered construction strengthens the entire shell. "Colors in shells are created by pigments found in food. The formation of spines, grooves and ribs on shells aid in protecting the inhabitant and in some cases add strength. Production of new shell material is influenced by several factors: sexual hormones, intrinsic rhythms, diet, acidity of water and temperature of water." SOURCE: http://starryskies.com/Artshtml/dln/8-00/shells.html "Seashells come in two major varieties. The gastropod [univalve] has a single shell and includes such species as conchs, whelks and tulips. Bivalves, such as clams, cockles and scallops, live within two hinged shells. The empty seashells you find layered on the beach once were home to soft-tissued animals called mollusks." SOURCE: www.sanibelshellingcenter.com/guide.asp My seashell collection contained about 20,000 specimens self-collected, by me or friends (except a one dollar purchase at www.cocoviewresort.com/ ), gathered between 1984 and 1997, over ninety percent of its species found on beaches of Naples, Florida. Twenty larger species specimens are on eight glass shelves, nineth shelf has different corals, shelves affixed to mirrored wall --- smaller shells under glass on three table tops or in glass containers. In all, there are more than one hundred-seventy different univalve (gastropod) mollusk species displayed, including single-cell, 'Ivory Tusk', --- showing largest, smallest, albinos and freaks along with egg cases & babies. Less than ¼ of 1 percent collected were alive. Also fifteen or more, species of bivalve scallops, several 1/8th inch juveniles, included are; a yellow fan of each, 'Zigzag' & 'Ravenel's', several juvenile and mature lemon yellow & orange 'Rough' and a juvenile orange 'Lions Paw'. Normally used is local common name. You'll find it rare, if ever, my use of "Scientific Names" herein, but most are listed within: http://www.shellmuseum.org/sanibel_shells_pictures.html |
SHELLING AT WHITE HORSE KEY |
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~ ~ ~ ~ http://community.webtv.net/billboggess-seashells/BLUEHERON ~ ~ ~ ~ pic by Jody Sulander Yours truly and the "Blue Heron" shelling in the ten-thousand islands off southwest coast of Florida, slightly more than half-way to Everglades City from Naples by water. |
- - - - - - - - - - - OUR LARGEST SHELLS - - - - - - - - - - -
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YOURS TRULY |
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| July 2008, holding a twelve inch Knobless Wonder, Horse Conch, featured in Shell Point Life, our community monthly magazine; http://arkansasties.com/People/BillBoggess.htm |
NAPLES DAILY NEWS, August 21, 2008 |
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http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/aug/20/my-life-so-far-bill-boggess-81-shell-collector/ |
LARGER SEASHELLS |
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Yours truly with larger shells on glass shelves of mirrored wall. |
BROKEN DREAMS |
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----------------> "Sheller: Ken ~~ Gluer: Lois ~~ 11/97" <--------------- Not all finds are perfect specimans! My friends Lois & Ken Haupt made this up from broken 'fan' shells found on Naples beach and presented me with it. |
DINNING TABLE |
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Once, had about one-hundred & fifty different species of bi-valve shells displayed on a forty-eight inch diameter, glass covered, dinning table, till it lost one of its three legs. Those shells were scooped up off the floor and were sadly depoisted in our trash dumpster. |
COFFEE TABLE |
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Fifteen or more different species of bi-valve scallops, displaying very smallest found to largest and the many color variations on my coffee table, plus rare yellow fan shell. |
SMALLER SHELLS |
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My smaller shells are displayed on three glass covered table tops (twenty-seven sq ft total) |
LEFT HAND JUNONIA |
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The deep water Junonia has opening to right when you hold the shell with the top pointing up, however the first of two known left hand specimens was found in Naples, Florida Thanksgiving 1959 by three ladies, one being Bea Sweet (then Bea Cole) who allowed me to photo copy news stories of its discovery and letter determining its rarity by curator of Mollusks at Smithsonian Institution, sold and now displayed at Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, Sanibel Island, Florida. |
SMITHSONIAN LETTER |
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SECOND LEFT HAND JUNONIA |
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pic by Ed TenEyck
This specimen is located in the Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington, Delaware, owned by John Eleuthére DuPont (now in prison for murder) who reportedly funded the museum. www.delmnh.org/ |
MY JUNONIAS |
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~~ The light colored speciman is a fossil, given me by a friend ~~ Junonias are seldom found on Florida beaches because they are a deep water critter. One book says about fifty a year may be found along Florida's gulf coast. They are plentiful in deeper water, reportedly attain about four & a half inch length. My largest Junonia is slightly over three inches, found years before the beach project, by Ed O'Conner when I had taken he and his wife, Leone, shelling on Keeywadin island, south of Gordon pass, Naples, Florida. She found a nice golden olive along with several other nice keepers. ~~~---> I'm still searching for a left hand, albino Junonia <---~~~ |
REFERENCE BOOKS |
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~~~~ Good reference books help identify your strange finds ~~~~ ~ Also view; www.shellmuseum.org/sanibel_shells_pictures.html ~ |
PREPARED BY:
William (Bill) Samuel Boggess |
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