Bill - UNH Management Information Services - x2417 wrote:
>
> >It would be nice if some of you shell lovers that don't say anything
> >would send us a message once in a while.  I know how some of you feel
> >when there are so many messages every evening or morning.  I think it
> >would be great to hear from some new interested people.  I don't think
> >Conch-L is just for a few people.  You "old timers" give these new guys
> >and gals some room to voice their opinions, or ask their questions?
> >Don't think your questions are dumb or stupid. None of us know it all.
> >There are really a lot of people that are ready to answer you.  So talk
> >to us!!
> >Bob Lipe
>
> Remember this from a few weeks back?  I've finally gotten up my courage to ask
> a question.  We were on Sanibel from 12/26 - 1/3.  As others have reported,
> the shelling was particularly productive.  The highlights for me were 5 alphabet
> cones, 2 florida cones, a junonia (my 2nd in 14 years of Sanibel beachcombing,
> and my personal largest sharks eye and auger.  In addition we found many banded
> tulips, a great large true tulip, and beautiful lightning whelks of all sizes.
> I also had fun putting together a color/design variation set of immature
> fighting conks. (Sorry for not using scientific names, but I am writing this
> at work.)
>
> My question, though has to do with horse conchs.  Every day at low tide dozens
> and dozens of live horse conchs would be revealed ranging from large crusty
> beasts to inch long little guys.  The odd thing is that they were not spread
> out evenly.  Rather they primarily appeared to be in clusters with an
> occasional loner off by itself.  Maybe we've watched too much Disney which has
> left us hopelessly anthropomorphic, but it was hard not to think of the
> clusters as little families.  For me at least, this was the first time I've
> been prompted to wonder about mollusck social behavior.  I know there's lots of
> work on the social bahavior of mammals, but what of mollusks?  I would welcome
> suggestions for readings on this topic
>
> As an aside, in recent weeks there have been a number of observations about the
> Sanibel live shelling ban.  I concur that it was difficult to take any shell
> with an animal inside even if you knew it was dead or would soon be.  However,
> I think erring on the conservative side is certainly better.  Where the ban
> really made sense to me was in relation to all those horse conchs.  Without the
> ban they would surely have been gathered up and killed in no time.  With the
> ban, hundreds and hundreds of tourists looked and exclaimed, but otherwise left
> the conchs alone.
>
> Bill Badgley
> [log in to unmask]
 
Good for you Bill,
 
Shells do colonized.  I have a couple of areas that Horse Conch do
occur, and most of them are small, but once in a while you will see a
couple of larger Conchs.  This area is rather small, and I usually take
pictures, and leave the conchs alone.  I got passed the gold fever
complex long ago.  Except when I go out of the Country, then I do have a
touch of it again.  These shells live together for more than one
reason.  The first reason is they were probably born there.  The second
is the food supply is just the way they like it, and the third is the
urge to merge when they mature.  In our Tampa Bay area, there are a few
of us that can go and see just about any species that we care to see or
collect.  Shells also have better breeding seasons when the temperature
etc. is just right.  Other sea life as well as insects, and warm blooded
animals have blooming seasons, but this usually happens when man has
upset the balance, but the balance can be upset by nature also.  The red
tide will wipe out certain predators, and the grazers will really bloom
for a year or two.  Why?  I don't know.  I know of a colony of Murex
that have been in a small area for over 30 years now.  Keep writing Bill
and anybody else that hasn't said anything yet.
 
Bob Lipe