How to Collect Seashells
Seashells, also known by biologists as the exoskeletons of critters in the phylum Mollusca, are popular for collectors.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Sporty Hats
- Sun Hats
- Sun Visors
- Peterson Field Guide To Shells
- Sunscreen
- Plastic Storage Bags
- Camera Accessories
- Cameras
- Disposable Cameras
- Underwater Camera Housing
- Waterproof Camera
- Golf Hats
- Screen Wire
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Get more out of your collecting by learning what animals lived in the shells you pick up.
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Look for bubbling holes in the wet sand. This indicates mollusk burrows, which means there should be abandoned shells nearby.
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Check out the rules concerning shell collecting in the areas that you are interested in. Some places don't allow collecting or allow it only during certain times of year. Some require permits. The local park service is a good place to start looking for information.
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Use a piece of screen stretched onto a wooden frame to sieve out the sand. (Be sure to use a type of screen that won't degrade from the water - brass is good.)
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Put things back if you move them. Rocks and driftwood may reveal a great find, but remember those places are also likely somebody's home.
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Handle starfish and sand dollars (phylum Echinodermata) carefully - they're very delicate.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't limit yourself to sandy beaches, particularly ones with hard surf, which aren't good habitats for shell dwellers. You can find shells in mud flats and reef areas as well.
Walking a beach after a storm is a good way to find empty seashells that have been washed ashore.
Be careful. Don't get so wrapped up in your hunting that you lose track of time, the tides and your sunscreen.
Some areas prohibit the collection of all seashells.
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Comments
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Do Not collect seashells. It is illegal on some beaches, and they are a natural part of the beach that you disrupt when taking them home. They often have animals in them, but are used by other animals, plants, and create sand and nutrients when the original animal has moved out. Some things people collect, like seastars (starfish), aren't shells at all but are the actual animals themselves. It's not worth killing something just to put on a shelf, and fake ones have better color anyways.
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Tasmin Pedlow
Oct 17, 2010
hey where do u find shells on the sunshine coast in qld australia -
Nov 22, 2005
I find to remember the experience. We clean the shells and then make frames, mirrors, my 6-year paints some, etc. I have a basket on our patio of our most precious shells for all to enjoy. When we have a party, I use the "shell basket" as a centerpiece.
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Nov 22, 2005
Leaving shells where you find them after enjoying them is best. Shells are part of the eco-system of the environment they are in and should be left there to disintegrate. Think, "Circle of Life." Everything contributes.
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Nov 22, 2005
Just returned from Sanibel - shell paradise. The #1 learning was to just have fun! We read up about the shells first and this was a great teaching tool for the kids. We knew which shells were rare and which weren't. However, it came down to having fun.
