The scientific name for my shell is 'Pleuroploca Gigantea,' more commonly known as a horse conch. It is the state shell of Florida and is found along the eastern coast from North Carolina to Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico. This shell species lives on sand, weed, and mud flats around shallow water of up to 20 feet deep.
These shells can grow up 24" long, with the average length being 6-10" long. The form is based around a long siphonal canal and can have up to 10 spiral turns on it. This spirals are called 'whorls.' Usually knobs will form along the whorls. When the shell is young it is bright orange in color and the older the shell is, the darker and more grey and salmon orange it becomes.
In Mayan art, this shell is shown being used as a paint and ink holder for scribes, and also as a water drinking cup.
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