The Amazing Conch

               A conch looks like a typical shell available at beaches anywhere, really what is inside is bigger than any average beach-goer would expect. A conch is often confused with typical shells able to be found at beaches around the world. A true conch is in its most abundance in and around the Carribean Sea. The Queen Conch or Strombus gigas is a gastropod,and invertebrate, that has a soft body protected by a very hard shell. Conch are consumed by many animals including people. The meat is not the only part of the animal you can use. The shell is used to make jewelry and to serve as the base of conch trumpets. The conch does not grow very fast so it is fairly easy to distinguish babies and full grown adults. The shell of the conch is spiral shaped lined with a smooth, pink lip. The shell is made from calcium carbonate that is taken from the sea. The shell can grow anywhere from four inches to one foot long! The smooth, pink lip curves towards the outside and on the inside there are spines to deter predators.




                 The Queen Conch is divided into three parts, the head, the visceral mass, and the foot. Two pairs of tentacles are located on the head. There is a light sensitive eye on each of the farger tentacles. The smaller pair of tentacles are used to smell and to touch. When young conch sense danger they are able to use there tentacles and small size to bury themselves under the sand. Conch have a diet that consists of grass, algae, and organic debris that floats in the sea. People with Queen Conch in their diet can't eat the whole conch on the "foot" is edible. The foot is a flesh peice of meat the serves as a way to move. When the conch is fully inside of its shell the foot is not visible. the foot is usually balck in color with a sharp "toe nail" attached at the end. to extract the conch from the shell either the person removing it must insert their hand into the lip and try toe pull it out or stab a hole at the top and pull out the meat. then you must cut off the non-edible parts, and continue to cook and consume thsi delicious animal!

Conch with its "toe nail" out