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Florida Fighting Conch
Strombus alatus · Size: About 2 to 4 inches
A sturdy, glossy conch with a flared outer lip and a small notch near the front, called the stromboid notch, which the animal uses to peek out with its eye.
How to identify it
The flared lip, short pointed spire with small knobs, and the notch at the bottom edge are the clues. Colors run tan, orange and brown with a glossy orange-pink interior.
Where to look near Sarasota
One of the most common conchs on the beaches of this area and often found whole.
More shells to look for
Finding florida fighting conchs with a guide
Fighting conchs are everywhere on our Sarasota-area tours. Watch one hop across the bottom under the light, then look for the empty ones nearby; guests go home with these more than almost any other shell.
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.