Kellet’s whelks on display at shell museum
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum invites the public to meet its resident Kellet’s whelks in the cold water touch pool. Senior Aquarist Carly Hulse reported, “Kellet’s whelks spend most of their time buried in the sand, but they will quickly emerge when they sense that food is near.” Like other whelks, they have chemoreceptors that allow them to sense dissolved particles in the water, allowing them to find food that may be far away. At times, large groups of these predators — and sometimes scavengers — can often be found feeding off the same food item. These gastropods have a unique extensible proboscis that can extend far beyond the length of their shell. In their natural environment, they can be found with their proboscis extended deep into the crevices of the rocky shores where they live. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is at 3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel. For more information, visit www.shellmuseum.org or call 239-395-2233.