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Banded Tulip
Cinctura hunteria · Size: About 2 to 4 inches
A small, tidy relative of the larger true tulip. The banded tulip has a spindle shape and thin spiral lines of brown that run around the shell like stripes.
How to identify it
Look for the narrow, pointed spire, a long open canal at the bottom, and the fine, dark spiral banding on a tan or cream background.
Where to look near Sarasota
A regular find in the shallow sandy waters and on beaches of southwest Florida. It is often picked up while wading in shallow water.
More shells to look for
Finding banded tulips with a guide
Banded tulips are one of the shells guides point out most often at night, because the animal is active after dark and you can watch it move before it goes back in the water. Empty ones are yours to keep.
Fun Florida Tours runs a guided night shelling and snorkeling tour in shallow Gulf water at Siesta Key, Sarasota and Anna Maria Island. You wade in from shore with a guide, the group shares one bright LED light pod that lights up the bottom, and the water stays under 4 feet deep, so you do not need to be a strong swimmer. After 60 minutes in the water we spend 15 minutes on the sand for show-and-tell, where guides name everything the group found. Empty shells are yours to keep; anything alive goes back.