Left-handed Whelk 11-12" brown sand-colored with light brown shades

sand-colored with light brown shades

As deep waters are naturally more acidic than shallow waters

The wavy shell opening faces the sunlight

Grinning Tuns are found over and within sand substrate in the intertidal zone to depths up to 130 feet

Left-handed Whelk 11-12" brown sand-colored with light brown shadesThe Lightning Whelk, Sinistrofulgur sinistrum (Hollister, 1958), is one of the local molluscan celebrities, not only because of its large size, but also thanks to very special features that make this species truly remarkable. For instance, unlike most gastropods, which are right handed, the Lightning Whelk has a left handed shell (shell opening to the right with shell spire pointing up). Abnormally right handed Lightning Whelks are very uncommon, but