Busycon carica · Busyconidae
How to identify a knobbed whelk
Aperture opens on the right when the spire points up. Row of blunt knobs along the shoulder of the body whorl; interior often flushed with orange.
- Right-handed (dextral) coil
- Prominent shoulder knobs
- Orange-tinted aperture
- Family
- Busyconidae
- Class
- Gastropod
- Regions
- East Coast · Atlantic Coast
- Habitat
- Sandy Intertidal · Shallow Subtidal
- Best seasons
- Fall · Winter · Spring
- Collector level
- Intermediate
Common along Atlantic beaches from Cape Cod south to Florida — intact adult shells are less common than juveniles.
Collect with care
- Never collect live specimens — check for a live animal in the aperture.