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True Tulip
Fasciolaria tulipa · Size: Up to about 8 inches
A heavy, handsome spindle shell, and the larger cousin of the banded tulip. Colors range from orange and pinkish to gray, usually with darker streaks and spiral lines.
How to identify it
Compared with the banded tulip, it is bigger and heavier with a more swollen body. Color varies a lot, so go by shape: pointed spire, swollen body, long open canal.
Where to look near Sarasota
Less common on the beach than lightning whelks, and many are found worn. A whole, bright one is a good find.
More shells to look for
Finding true tulips with a guide
A whole true tulip is one of the finds that gets held up at show-and-tell. Guides know the sandy flats where they turn up and will help you tell a true tulip from its smaller banded cousin.
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.