I went to Shackleford Island, next to Cape Lookout, NC, today. It's known
for some good shelling but I hadn't been there.

There were a lot of large broken Busycon carica and Cassis madagascariensis
spinella on the beach where I landed.

I wasn't sure if Cassis is found near shore in NC but they must be since
there's no deep water surrounding Shackleford that I can tell. Maybe I'd
find one in wading depths or maybe a Pandora trilineata or a live Tellidora
cristata. Just one new shell, that's all I was asking.

I didn't encounter any of the ones I believed might be there.

I was checking out the clumps left on the sandflat and found some smallish
Busycon carica. Saw a small clump of seaweed (I thought) fully exposed on
the sand. Closer up it looked like the flared lip of a Strombus. S. alatus?

When I turned it over--a perfect Cymatium parthenopeum! What a beautiful
animal too.

I didn't know it could be found not only in shallow water in NC but on the
exposed sandflat.

I'd seen only a lip fragment of one on Wrightsville Beach and thought it
must be from some depth or possibly fossil. I thought such critters were
hopelessly out of reach (for me) in NC out at the wrecks off Cape Hatteras
in 80 to 100 feet of water.

I didn't have my camera with me but I scanned this guy as soon as I got home
if anyone is interested in seeing what he or she looks like. Please e-mail
me privately at [log in to unmask]

David Kirsh
Durham, NC