Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium

06/19/2026

Today, learn about the Giant Tun (𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘢) with Dr. José H. Leal. Plan your visit to our Great Hall of Shells today at ShellMuseum.org.

06/18/2026

Join us next Thursday, June 25th. for a Beat the Heat Beach Walk! Participants will explore the beach at Gulfside City Park on Sanibel Island and learn about various local shells and mollusks. $15 for adults, $5 for Members and youth. Register at ShellMuseum.org/beach-walks

06/17/2026

The Catesby’s Risso (Schwartziella catesbyana) is a relatively common micromollusk found in Southwest Florida and other areas of the Western Atlantic. This graceful little shell reaches only about 4 mm (about 0.16 inch) in size! The shell of the living snail is translucent, but it becomes more opaque after the animal dies. Fresh-dead shells are often translucent. Micromollusk shells may be picked from shell-rich sand. Scoop some sand up, rinse in freshwater, let it dry. Using a hand-lens or small microscope, you may find a number of different species. Try it yourself! Illustration: Patricia A. Starke.

06/16/2026

Join us virtually on June 24 at 5:30pm EST for our first lecture of our online Summer/ Fall Lecture Series. Hear from Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement of the Harte Research Institute, as he shares some of the most memorable discoveries from his years of beachcombing. While these stories are often entertaining, they carry a bigger message: ocean debris has very real consequences for marine life and coastal ecosystems.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register in the link in bio or at: https://www.shellmuseum.org/learn-and-experience/lectures/

06/15/2026

The Twin Drupe (Trachypollia turricula) is a small (to approximately 15 mm, or 0.6 inch) gastropod of the murex family (Muricidae). The species is relatively common in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, east coast of Florida, and the Florida Keys.

Twin Drupes start their lives as free-living, open-water larvae. In a well-preserved shell, the larval shell is preserved on the apex (the “top”) of the adult as the *protoconch* (second illustration). Observe how different the protoconch is from the remainder of the shell. The image shows, on left, a young shell (about 4 mm, or 0.16 inch) captured under a powerful scanning electron microscope (SEM); on top right, a detail showing the protoconch, also under SEM; and on bottom right, an adult shell measuring about 12 mm (about 0.5 inch). The image of the young shell (left) also hints at the cause of death of that young snail: a drill hole made by another predatory snail.

The shell in the first illustration, from Abaco, Bahamas, was part of the collection of Bahamian mollusks and seashells donated in 2014 by the late Colin Redfern.

06/15/2026

06/12/2026

Join us virtually on June 24 at 5:30pm EST for our first lecture of our online Summer/ Fall Lecture Series. Hear from Jace Tunnell, Director of Community Engagement of the Harte Research Institute, as he shares some of the most memorable discoveries from his years of beachcombing. While these stories are often entertaining, they carry a bigger message: ocean debris has very real consequences for marine life and coastal ecosystems.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register in the link in bio or at: https://www.shellmuseum.org/learn-and-experience/lectures/

06/11/2026

Father’s Day is around the corner, and our Museum Store has everything you need! Shop in-store daily from 10-5 (and Members, don’t forget you get a 20% off discount), or online at the link in bio or at Store.ShellMuseum.org.

06/10/2026

Have you ever seen a live Common Nutmeg (Cancellaria reticulata)? This image shows a Common Nutmeg photographed by Amy Tripp on Kice Island, Collier County, Florida.

Observe the speckled pattern on the foot, te****les with eyes, and the siphon sticking up, just left of the left te****le. Nice snail, isn’t it?

06/08/2026

Hello! The Beautiful Dove Snail (Falsuszafrona pulchella) is a tropical marine gastropod that reaches approximately 12 mm (0.5 inch). The species has a fine sculpture of spiral cords crossed by ill-defined axial ribs. The shell color is light brown or beige with large and small white blotches. The species is found in the Caribbean, Bahamas, east coast of Florida and the Keys, and parts of the Gulf of Mexico. While we don’t know exactly the food habits of the species, dove snails generally feed on a mix of microalgae, detritus, diatoms, sponges, and carrion, while some predatory species eat small marine invertebrates.

Click the link https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/3341132887 to learn more about the specimen in the illustration, originally from the collection of Bahamian seashells of the late Colin Redfern.