✨ Shelling Spotlight: Scallop Shells! 🐚

Florida Scallop Shells are found all over Florida beaches and come in many colors.

Scallop shells are treasures from the sea! 🌊

📝 These fan-shaped beauties come from bivalves - marine mollusks with two hinged shells that can actually swim by snapping them shut! 🤯 They live on sandy sea floors and wash up in all shapes, sizes, and colors, especially after storms. Every shell you find is a tiny piece of Florida’s incredible marine life, and no two are ever exactly alike. 💯

🗺️ Where to Find These Shells in Florida:

While they are can be found nearly on every Florida beach, here are some known hot-spots:

• Sanibel & Captiva Islands

• 10,000 Islands

• Marco Island

• Caladesi Island

• St. George Island

• Cedar Key

• Honeymoon Island

• Fort De Soto

• Cape San Blas

🔍 Scallops You Might Find in Florida:

🌸 Calico Scallop (Argopecten gibbus)

The most common scallop on Florida beaches - lightweight, colorful, and patterned in pinks, purples, oranges, and whites.

🌞 Flat Scallop

A thinner, flatter version of the calico with similar bright colors.

Kitten’s Paw complete bivalve found at the Lighthouse on Sanibel Island.

🐈 🐾 Kitten’s Paw (Plicatula gibbosa)

Small, thick, and heavily ribbed, shaped like a kitten’s paw. Rust orange or tan, perfect for jars or displays.

🦁 🐾 Lion’s Paw Scallop (Nodipecten nodosus)

Rare and bold! Thick, heavy, and deeply ridged, with intense oranges and reds - a true prize find.

💛 Atlantic Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians)

Found mostly on Florida’s Atlantic coast. Pale gray, yellow, or tan, with a smoother, rounded shape.

💜 Rough Scallop (Aequipecten muscosus)

Small, with fine ridges and textured surfaces. Comes in purple, brown, and earthy tones.

🧵 Scaly Scallop (Caribachlamys sentis)

Tiny and often overlooked, with a rough, scale-like surface. Usually in muted shades of light purple, beige, or cream.

🌵 Spiny Scallop (Chlamys asper)

Notable for sharp spines or “prickles” along the ribs. Cream, brown, or occasionally pink/lavender.

Beautiful Zigzag flattie Raquel found on a shelling tour in the 10,000 Islands!

🌀 Zigzag Flat Scallop (Euvola ziczac)

A less common find - flat, smooth, and usually white or cream, with distinctive zigzag or wavy rib patterns.

Large Sea Scallop found at Delnor-Wiggins Pass.

🌊 Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus)

Also known as the “large sea scallop” in seafood markets, this species is a larger, deeper-water scallop found off the U.S. Atlantic coast and occasionally washing up in Florida. Smooth, rounded, and often pale beige to brown, it’s the same scallop prized on dinner plates worldwide.

Happy shelling, and may the tides bring you treasures! 🐚 🌊 ☀️