Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Whelk egg cases

Telling your whelk egg case strings apart, Southern New England to Mid-Atlantic division:
This is the egg case of the channeled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus. Note how the edges of each individual capsule comes together as if pinched, giving each capsule a sharp edge.
This is the egg case string of the knobbed whelk, Busycon carica. Note how the edge of each capsule is flattened, like a sturdy coin.

Each capsule contains 25 or more tiny baby whelks in their tiny baby shells. Here are some of the channeled whelks who didn’t make it:In the palm of my hand. Each is about 3/16ths of an inch long. Check out this earlier posting for views of the baby knobbed whelks.

O, and telling your adults apart is straight-forward:The knobbed whelk, top, has knobs on its spiral. The channeled whelk (7.25″ long), bottom, has a deep groove in its spiral. Both these shells were found at Fort Tilden in Queens (the egg cases were found on Nantucket). Color of the shell can vary: NYC-local whelks don’t have the coral pink interiors you find in Massachusetts.

The phrase “whelk egg cases” and variations thereof, turns out to be one of the most popular internet searches leading to this blog. So this one’s for you, stranger.

And if you like this post, consider subscribing to this blog. It’s free, fun, frequent, and, mostly, accurately informative.

One-Time
Monthly

Like what you see here? You can make a one-time donation to support this blog:

Make a monthly donation

Choose an amount

¤5.00
¤15.00
¤50.00
¤1.00
¤5.00
¤10.00

Or enter a custom amount

Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthly

mthew

, ,

32 responses to “Whelk egg cases”

  1. Out Walking the Dog

    Such beautiful objects, those long strings of egg cases, almost like a vertebral column. And each case filled with tiny creatures… Fantastic world, eh?

    Reply
    1. mthew

      And to think all these years I never even bothered looking closer at those segments. William Blake, who was probably not familiar with our whelks, wrote: “To see a world in a grain of sand/And a heaven in a wild flower/Hold infinity in the palm of your hand/And eternity in an hour

      Reply
  2. Brenda from Flatbush

    I’m sort of obsessed with shells, and the baby whelks on that other post you linked to are GORGEOUS! Sometimes I think that nature just ruins me for modern art and design…what could be more incredible (function/form + beauty) than a whelk egg case filled with micro-whelks?

    As for Google, my top search term is “Totoro,” so one just has to go with it…

    Reply
    1. mthew

      I too am obsessed. I have entirely too many keyhole limpets piled up around the apartment.

      Reply
      1. Charlie

        I hate when that happens.

  3. nancy

    very interesting, use to find them washed up on the Delaware beaches.
    Usually tangled up in other seaweed and trash. would pick it up
    and could hear the rattle of something unknown inside the compartments.
    thanks, after all these years, now I know…

    Reply
    1. mthew

      For the longest time, I thought it was sand in the capsules.

      Reply
  4. Deb

    Thanks for the great info and photos. i noticed those tiny whelks inside the casing many years ago. I didn’t know there were animals in there. When i find the casing on the beach, does that mean it won’t survive or they’re dead? Or should i throw it back in the water?

    Reply
    1. mthew

      If it’s dried out, I’m afraid it’s too late for that batch of future whelks.

      Reply
  5. The long and winding beach « Backyard and Beyond

    […] are known for tasting their samples. Their dentists must role their eyes.)Egg case string from Knobbed Whelks. Each capsule is filled with multiple tiny whelks, miniatures — who could hear the sea in […]

    Reply
  6. Umbilicus | Ancient Shore

    […] was inspired by the spiral that can be seen in an abraded snail shell on the beach, or maybe by a whelk’s egg case. I also suspect that some of the form of this coil may have come from the minds and hands of the […]

    Reply
  7. What is this?!

    […] it out. It's a knobbed whelk egg case (baby snails!). Heres an article on them: Whelk egg cases | Backyard and Beyond Reply With […]

    Reply
  8. kim cole

    Found a spiral case and then one that has stacked triangles in a stacked circle…wonder if it’s also part of the whelk family?

    Reply
    1. Anna

      The triangular ones are from horse conchs.

      Reply
  9. Isara Serene

    Looking for a nickname of these that is used in Connecticut or New Jersey? … maybe has the word “Witch” in it? Thanks, in advance …

    Reply
    1. mthew

      I don’t know the answer to this. “Mermaid’s necklaces” is one reference I see on-line. I wonder if there’s some variation of Devil’s Necklace or Witch’s Necklace?

      Reply
    2. mthew

      I tweeted this question and got back “witch’s purse” or “mermaid’s purse” for the lone respondent, although I would use those terms for a skate’s egg-case.

      Reply
  10. 6th Anniversary Highlights | Backyard and Beyond

    […] How to tell whelk egg cases apart. Perennially popular. […]

    Reply
  11. kbush230

    Thank you for sharing such a wonderful piece of nature. Beautiful images and very informative information.

    Happy Shelling,

    Kinda

    Reply
    1. mthew

      You are welcome. Enjoy!

      Reply
  12. kbush230

    Reblogged this on Tropical Seashell Treasures and commented:
    Great blog about Lighting Whelk Egg Casings, by matthewwills.com

    Reply
  13. Milestone Shell | Backyard and Beyond

    […] in American waters — the species ranges from North Carolina south. I’m used to the Knobbed and Channeled Whelks up here in our chilly […]

    Reply
  14. Linda

    Just wondering if the “adult” whelk “lays” the egg case.

    Reply
    1. mthew

      Yes, eggs are internally fertilized and encapsulated, laid in the case. One of end of the necklace is buried in sand as a anchor (which clearly doesn’t always work).

      Reply
  15. pmciii

    Found channeled whelk egg cases this weekend in Montauk, thanks for the help with the identification.

    Reply
  16. Ellen

    Ha! I had to go back to see this after reading your Twitter post. I loved these as a kid. Finding all the miniature shells inside was pure magic.

    Reply
  17. Eve Bohlin

    I just found a stand of channeled whelk eggs on Rockaway Beach. Thank you for your help in identifying them.

    Reply
  18. barrie

    barrie

    Whelk egg cases | Backyard and Beyond

    Reply
  19. Ricardo Sánchez

    Superb!!!

    Reply
  20. Egg Case | Backyard and Beyond

    […] readers may know that my most popular blog post ever was about these whelk egg cases. We have two types in the upper Mid-Atlantic and the […]

    Reply
  21. Flaring | Backyard and Beyond

    […] almost the last chance to sign up for our Snail Safari on […]

    Reply
  22. Tony Arioli

    I have seen several specimens of Busycon carica taken from The Great South Bay area that possessed orange to pale red apertures, but these shells tend to have shorter shoulder knobs than those found in the Atlantic Ocean proper; the oceanic shells that I have seen from Long Island have more developed knobs or spines, and I have seen a few that have a burnt-orange coloration in the apertures, but these aren’t as common in this locale as further south on the eastern seaboard.

    Reply

Leave a comment