>But it's NOT a conch (conchs are strombids). It doesn't live only in Florida. <
This illustrates the problem of common names. In popular practice, a conch is a snail, usually large. Thus, Busycon is commonly called a conch. Thus, we need some sort of balance between stability and accuracy.
>And what does it have to do with a horse, apart from being... er ... large?<
Maybe it eats horse mussels?
Dr. David Campbell
Old Seashells
University of Alabama
Biodiversity & Systematics
Dept. Biological Sciences
Box 870345
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0345 USA
[log in to unmask]
That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa