HORSE CONCH: Pleuroploca gigantea Locations Sampled or Observed: Upper Clam Bay: Upper Tributary: Inner Clam Bay: Lower Tributary: Lower Clam Bay: X Geographic Range: The Horse conch is found along the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina south to the Gulf and Yucatan. It prefers to live in sand, but is also found in weeds or mud flats in the low intertidal to shallow subtidal areas.
Photo by: Seashell.com
Description: The horse conch is not actually a conch but a member of the tulip family. It is a spindle-shaped, extremely large marine gastropod mollusc that is grayish white to salmon orange. The horse conch has a hard calcium-carbon shell with knobby whirls and a long conical spire that protects it from predation. It is the largest snail in North America. Ecology: Horse conchs are predatory carnivorous animals that feed on other marine gastropods such as whelks, murex, pen shells and other conchs. At times this species can be cannibalistic. Its shell is popular for shell collectors and is the Florida state seashell. This animal is also sometimes used for human consumption.
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