Busycon & Busycotypus sp.

You never know what you’ll find at the seashore, which is always littered with mysterious detritus. What’s that tan, swirly thing? It looks like a miniature Hawaiian lei, only without the neon colors. It’s a whelk egg case.

Five species of this carnivorous marine snail can be found in N.C. waters. The female extrudes the rubbery case, which looks like a series of disks attached to a cord, and glues one end of the case to the seafloor. Each disk contains 20 or more eggs that develop in about two weeks into hungry baby whelks, complete with fully developed shells. Adult whelks feed on oysters and other bivalves.

Cool Links:

The Georgia Shell Club: Whelk page - lots of great information and references, and several illustrations of whelks and their egg cases.

The Genera Busycon & Busycotypus (Whelks) - a good assortment of photos of whelk shells, egg cases and radular teeth from the Jacksonville Shell Club.

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