How to identify different seashells

Each time you go to a beach, you may bring back seashells of different kinds. A seashell collection is not complete without the identification and labeling of all specimens. Learning how to identify different seashells is an interesting task. In this article, we will talk about the identification of different seashells.
1. The seashells collected from the beach are generally covered with dirt. Therefore, you should clean your shell thoroughly from inside to outside.
2. Take note of the place where you found the seashell. You should pay attention to the beach, the ocean, the borders and the city or town that the beach is near. This is helpful because some beaches feature on certain kind of seashells. .
3. Measure the shell to get some basic figures. Depending on the length of the shell, you can divide shells into three groups. Small shells are about 0.25 to 2 inches long; medium-sized shells are 0.75 to 4 inches long; large shells are more than 3 inches long.
4. Check the shape of the seashell. Depending on the appearance of the shell, seashells are divided into two categories. Shells with one opening such as Fighting Conch belong to univalves, and shells that are hinged together at the narrowest point belong to bivalves.
5. Identify the distinctive features on the shell, including the color patterns, iridescence, textures, spires, and so on. Take the Fighting Conch as an example. It features on the distinctive cone-shaped spiral at one end and a large lip opening along one side. Those features play an important role in identifying those shells.
6. At last, you can indentify your shells based on what you have done above. In many books and websites, you can find pictures and detailed information that is helpful to identify your shells.
In conclusion, the identification of shells is an important part of shell collection. In order to identify the shells, you can start from the following aspects: clean the shell, record where the shell comes from, measure the length, check the shape, identify the features, and get the final conclusion with the help of books and Internet.