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Lettered Olive
Oliva sayana · Size: About 1.5 to 2.5 inches
A glossy, smooth, cylinder-shaped shell with brown markings that look like letters or tent shapes. It is the official shell of South Carolina, and it is also common on Florida's Gulf coast.
How to identify it
Smooth and shiny with a long narrow opening and a low spire. The cream or gray background carries brown zigzags that resemble written letters.
Where to look near Sarasota
Found in the shallows and on the beach in this area. Beautiful ones that are not worn show up on calm days after a storm.
More shells to look for
Finding lettered olives with a guide
At night, lettered olives are out on top of the sand instead of buried under it, which is why our guides can show you the live animal plowing along. Empty, glossy ones are a classic keeper.
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.