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A live one in the sand during a minus tide.
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A live one in the sand during a minus tide.
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Two of four species of whelks found in Texas. The one on the left is the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi (the Texas State Shell), and the one on the right is the Pearwhelk, Busycotypus spiratus. The Lightning Whelk has a sinistral or left-handed shell, while the other has the more typical right-handed shell. Both species are found in bays, but live specimens are less common than crabbed shells. One photo shows the eggs mass of the Lightning Whelk, which like its shell, coils in counter-clockwise direction (going from the oldest part toward the aperture/widest part of the egg mass strand). See more photos and a discussion on the taxonomy of the Lightning Whelk in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells.
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low tide
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Two of four species of whelks found in Texas. The one on the left is the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi (the Texas State Shell), and the one on the right is the Pearwhelk, Busycotypus spiratus. The Lightning Whelk has a sinistral or left-handed shell, while the other has the more typical right-handed shell. Both species are found in bays, but live specimens are less common than crabbed shells. One photo shows the eggs mass of the Lightning Whelk, which like its shell, coils in counter-clockwise direction (going from the oldest part toward the aperture/widest part of the egg mass strand). See more photos and a discussion on the taxonomy of the Lightning Whelk in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells.
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I found a nice shell of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon puleyi, at the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. It is a common species around here, and often seen with a hermit crab. This one appeared to have a dead crab inside. It was a juvenile shell with the typical pattern which fades away as the shell grows. The sun was setting down, so I took several photos of the shell against the sky an bay, as possible ideas for the cover of a field guide on Texas seashells that will come out soon. However, the Texas A&M University Press decided to design a different cover (see other photo); nice, but I think a photo of a shell in the field might have been more appropriate for a field guide, especially one with the Texas state shell.
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I found a nice shell of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon puleyi, at the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. It is a common species around here, and often seen with a hermit crab. This one appeared to have a dead crab inside. It was a juvenile shell with the typical pattern which fades away as the shell grows. The sun was setting down, so I took several photos of the shell against the sky an bay, as possible ideas for the cover of a field guide on Texas seashells that will come out soon. However, the Texas A&M University Press decided to design a different cover (see other photo); nice, but I think a photo of a shell in the field might have been more appropriate for a field guide, especially one with the Texas state shell.
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I found a nice shell of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon puleyi, at the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. It is a common species around here, and often seen with a hermit crab. This one appeared to have a dead crab inside. It was a juvenile shell with the typical pattern which fades away as the shell grows. The sun was setting down, so I took several photos of the shell against the sky an bay, as possible ideas for the cover of a field guide on Texas seashells that will come out soon. However, the Texas A&M University Press decided to design a different cover (see other photo); nice, but I think a photo of a shell in the field might have been more appropriate for a field guide, especially one with the Texas state shell.
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I found a nice shell of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon puleyi, at the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. It is a common species around here, and often seen with a hermit crab. This one appeared to have a dead crab inside. It was a juvenile shell with the typical pattern which fades away as the shell grows. The sun was setting down, so I took several photos of the shell against the sky an bay, as possible ideas for the cover of a field guide on Texas seashells that will come out soon. However, the Texas A&M University Press decided to design a different cover (see other photo); nice, but I think a photo of a shell in the field might have been more appropriate for a field guide, especially one with the Texas state shell.
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I found a nice shell of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon puleyi, at the edge of Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. It is a common species around here, and often seen with a hermit crab. This one appeared to have a dead crab inside. It was a juvenile shell with the typical pattern which fades away as the shell grows. The sun was setting down, so I took several photos of the shell against the sky an bay, as possible ideas for the cover of a field guide on Texas seashells that will come out soon. However, the Texas A&M University Press decided to design a different cover (see other photo); nice, but I think a photo of a shell in the field might have been more appropriate for a field guide, especially one with the Texas state shell.
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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Several individuals of the Lightning Whelk, Busycon pulleyi, were observed at Laguna Madre, near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Texas State Shell is a common species in the bays and estuaries in Texas. Unlike most gastropods, it has a sinistral shell. Read about its confusing taxonomic history in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 223. See more about this species at the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico (BioGoMx) database at: http://gulfbase.org/biogomx/biospecies.php?species=Spp-33-0948
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The Lightning whelk, Busycon pulleyi Hollister, 1958, is a common gastropod in Texas. In fact, it is the Texas State Shell. While is it very common to find crabbed shells at University Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, live specimens are not common. And even rarer are yellow shells without the typical dark marks, like the shell I saw this time. It was crabbed, so I left it at the beach. It measured about 7.5 cm (3 in) long. One of the photos here shows several Lightning Whelk shells with hermit crabs that crawled onto the beach. The crabs live in the shallow waters in the protected University Beach and around the bay. You can read more about this species and its convoluted taxonomic history in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, page 223. It is also featured in the new Texas Seashells Field Guide, page 99.
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The Lightning whelk, Busycon pulleyi Hollister, 1958, is a common gastropod in Texas. In fact, it is the Texas State Shell. While is it very common to find crabbed shells at University Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, live specimens are not common. And even rarer are yellow shells without the typical dark marks, like the shell I saw this time. It was crabbed, so I left it at the beach. It measured about 7.5 cm (3 in) long. One of the photos here shows several Lightning Whelk shells with hermit crabs that crawled onto the beach. The crabs live in the shallow waters in the protected University Beach and around the bay. You can read more about this species and its convoluted taxonomic history in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, page 223. It is also featured in the new Texas Seashells Field Guide, page 99.
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The Lightning whelk, Busycon pulleyi Hollister, 1958, is a common gastropod in Texas. In fact, it is the Texas State Shell. While is it very common to find crabbed shells at University Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, live specimens are not common. And even rarer are yellow shells without the typical dark marks, like the shell I saw this time. It was crabbed, so I left it at the beach. It measured about 7.5 cm (3 in) long. One of the photos here shows several Lightning Whelk shells with hermit crabs that crawled onto the beach. The crabs live in the shallow waters in the protected University Beach and around the bay. You can read more about this species and its convoluted taxonomic history in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, page 223. It is also featured in the new Texas Seashells Field Guide, page 99.
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The Lightning whelk, Busycon pulleyi Hollister, 1958, is a common gastropod in Texas. In fact, it is the Texas State Shell. While is it very common to find crabbed shells at University Beach, Corpus Christi Bay, live specimens are not common. And even rarer are yellow shells without the typical dark marks, like the shell I saw this time. It was crabbed, so I left it at the beach. It measured about 7.5 cm (3 in) long. One of the photos here shows several Lightning Whelk shells with hermit crabs that crawled onto the beach. The crabs live in the shallow waters in the protected University Beach and around the bay. You can read more about this species and its convoluted taxonomic history in the Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, page 223. It is also featured in the new Texas Seashells Field Guide, page 99.