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Kitten's Paw
Plicatula gibbosa · Size: About 1 to 1.5 inches
A tiny, sturdy bivalve with strong ribs that fan out from the hinge. It has a pinkish, purple or white color, and it earned its name from its soft, paw-like shape.
How to identify it
Small, fan-shaped and heavily ribbed, with a thick, sturdy shell compared with a scallop of the same size.
Where to look near Sarasota
Small ones are found in the beach wrack and the shell line, especially if you slow down and look closely.
More shells to look for
Finding kitten's paws with a guide
Kitten's paws are the small shells that reward a slow, careful look with the light. Guides help younger guests spot them in the sand and shell drifts.
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.