Lightning Whelk

At a glance

Lightning Whelk (Sinistrofulgur sinistrum) is a marine snail with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.

Confirmed by 3,811 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Its shell coils to the left — the opposite direction of nearly all other snails.
• Can grow up to 16 inches long, one of the largest gastropods on the U.S. East Coast.
• The lightning whelk is the official state shell of Texas.
• Feeds on hard-shelled bivalves like clams and oysters by prying them open with its shell.
• Native Americans used whelk shells as tools, cups, and ceremonial objects for thousands of years.

Where Lightning Whelk are seen

• Florida3,238 iNat obs
• North Carolina180 iNat obs
• South Carolina159 iNat obs
• Alabama94 iNat obs
• Georgia59 iNat obs
• Louisiana40 iNat obs

Jurisdictions with rules for Lightning Whelk

• TexasUnited States · official source

Background

Sinistrofulgur sinistrum is an edible species of large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Lightning Whelk article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.

Other marine snails (whelk/conch) on CatchRules

• Frilled DogwinkleNucella lamellosa
• Atlantic DogwhelkNucella lapillus
• Common WhelkBuccinum undatum
• Knobbed WhelkBusycon carica