Home › Shell Guide › Turkey Wing Ark
Turkey Wing Ark
Arca zebra · Size: About 2 to 3.5 inches
A long, boxy clam with a straight hinge and rust-brown zebra stripes on a cream background. Pairs that are still joined look like a turkey's spread wing.
How to identify it
Rectangular, with a long straight hinge line and bold brown stripes. The ribs run from the hinge to the edge.
Where to look near Sarasota
Found on local beaches, often as single valves, with the stripes still visible on fresh shells.
More shells to look for
Finding turkey wing arks with a guide
Turkey wings are easy to recognize once a guide shows you one, and they are common enough that most groups find a few on a tour.
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.