Naming Mollusks

Much of Southwest Florida’s beach front is known for great shelling opportunities so it’s only fitting that for this week’s essay from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams we delve into the world of mollusks. Mollusks are easy to overlook, but they do comprise nearly a quarter of all the named marine organisms humans have documented. And the variety of colors and shell patterns characteristic to each species have inspired some pretty interesting common names. Some evoke elegance and grace. Some evoke fear. And some of those common names…are just plain bizarre.