On my beach walk at the Lighthouse Beach today, I saw many different lines of shells and oodles of Beach Bling in lots of different wrack lines to sift through. About half a mile away from the lighthouse on the gulf side, I found lots of fun minis in the high dried tidal pool areas (on the right of the next photo)…
Yes, I love to show photos of minis… But… if you know me…. I love me some BEACH BLING! I was enamored with all of the different egg casings for the different shells lined up along the shore.
LIGHTNING WHELK EGG CHAINS were everywhere. Female WHELKS produce these long EGG CHAINS which can get up to 33 inches long. There can be up to 145 capsules in each strand and each capsule contains around 45 eggs. That’s alot of babies, right? But that’s life in the wild- only the strong survive. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing
PEAR WHELK EGG CHAINS were a little bit harder to find but I saw about 6 of them.
What’s the difference between the LIGHTNING WHELK and the PEAR WHELK? Aha! Now you can see for yourself how much smaller and shorter the PEAR chain on the left is compared to the larger LIGHTNING WHELK on the right.
PAPER FIG EGG CASES (or the PAPER FIGS themselves) are never that easy to find but I did see about 3 different ones. They never get to be long chains like the WHELKS but instead they look like little corn cobs that are glued together at the sides.
I saw dozens of HORSE CONCH EGG CLUSTERS today too. Most all of the cases I saw washed up on the beach were empty inside each capsule. In each of the photos, I removed one of the capsules of the egg clusters so you could see what shape each of the capsules looked like.
Here is a HORSE CONCH EGG CASING, PEAR WHELK EGG CHAIN and a LIGHTNING WHELK EGG CHAIN all together on the beach. I saw other casings but I’ll have to save those for another day…. because….
Want to walk the beach with me to see what it looked like when I found all of these EGG CASINGS? I made a video! I’ve gotten some requests lately from peeps up north “jonesin” for my beach videos. LOL Love it! I don’t want to let you down! Enjoy!
Thanks. Very detailed. Are these dead or will they survive when you put them back in the water. I have always wondered. Love your site. Read it always
Hi Sheila, These are all dried and dead. From what I gather from most of the scientists, there is a slim to none chance they will survive once they are washed up on shore. Thats why they lay so many eggs- most of them won’t survive. I have returned some egg chains that just washed in which still had the fluid in the capsules and the babies were clearly formed. I figure when they are about to hatch, it can’t hurt to give them another chance. But that is rarely the case… no pun intended. heehee
Wow! Thanks you so much for sharing. I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever seen any of those “minis” before. They are amazing.
You are a wealth of knowledge! –And I always look forward to your video posts as well! Yay! :D
I love going on a walk with you!
WOWZER !!
This post is EGGSTREMELY
FANTASTIC !!
Thank you for teaching about the marine life of THE GULF in such a beautiful style :)
Shellotte
Just the post I was looking for! I’ve found 3 of the ones listed. Coming to Sanibel 2nd week in April, sooo excited!
Nice comparison, Pam. You should add a reference to your blog on the tulip egg casings. In January, I took some photos of freshly beached ones attached to a pen shell. The casings were beautiful and pink and looked like a bunch of flowers. Everyone who has seen the photos says “Ooo”. I would not have know what they were if I had not read your blog. Thanks one more time!
I would love to see those photos! Can you post them on the ILS facebook page?
Sorry, Michelle, I don’t Facebook. But Pam has some photos. Check her index under “Egg casing” and then “Banded Tulip”. The photo shows a nice ruffly pink cluster.
Thanks so much for this very informative post, Pam! I love learning about all the extra details!
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a paper fig egg case on the beach and now I’m excited to look for one. Great informative post and thanks for the video. The last frame of the vide is especially stunning. A bit of heaven!
Thank you for your continued beach education! It is so nice to know which shells come from the casings. I have learned so much from you! Loved the video with the sound of the water and the music to show off the beautiful casings. Looking forward to my next beach adventure in May. In the meantime, I will look forward to each new post from you. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into this site for so many of us to enjoy.
Diane, r u coming back to Sanibel again??? Ps- u r most welcome!
I will be back May 1-8 and will take my hubby for a night’s stay at Island Inn on the 5th. Hope to see you on the beach somewhere!
Thanks for the great information. I love showing folks the egg cases while walking the beach. It is fun to see the “Oh, Wow!” look on their faces. Are the egg cases later this year? I usually see lots of them end of Jan. early Feb.
I see egg cases many different months when there is a big west wind blow
This video was amazing as all your videos have been. I found your site “I love shelling” about a year ago. It brings me joy whenever I watch them. Began my shelling life at the age of two down in Mattapoisett, MA. in 1950. Welk egg cases and others that I can’t identify have washed ashore here often. Your video was interesting and educational. Hope to join you for a walk next year. From an active follower, Janis. Biddeford, Maine