Mysterious lightning whelk egg washes up on Padre Island shore
A strange object that might be mistaken for snakeskin was found along the Gulf Coast. But it’s none other than a sea snail’s egg case that also happens to be the state shell of Texas.
Padre Island National Seashore posted the “cryptic object” on Facebook, identifying it as the egg case of the lightning whelk, a carnivorous sea snail that lives on the sandy floor of the Gulf of Mexico.
The creature itself isn’t actually seen much at Padre Island National Seashore, officials said. However evidence that the snail lives there is in the strange egg casings that wash up on the beach.
What is a lightning whelk?
Lightning whelk can be 2.5 inches to 16 inches long — making it one of the largest shells in the gulf, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife information. Its shell is a cream color with brown “lightning” streaks going from top to bottom. It’s most distinguishing feature is that it is “left-handed,” meaning the shell spirals counterclockwise. The snail itself is dark brown or black. The life span of lightning whelks is unknown.
They live at the bottom of shallow bays in sand or mud with submerged grass beds and can be found along the Gulf Coast from North Carolina to Texas.
Native Americans would harvest the snails for religious ceremonies, practical tools and to eat. Many tribes believed that the “left-handed” spiral made the shells sacred objects, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife. In 1957, the Texas Legislature designated it as the official state shell of Texas.
Why do the lightning whelk egg casings look like that?
Female whelks lay eggs in long strings of capsules 11 to 33 inches long. Each strand has up to 145 capsules with 20 to 100 eggs in each capsule. But only about eight to 13 eggs in each capsule actually hatch, according to the parks and wildlife species page.
Mating season is from late October to early January with spawning season March through April. The eggs hatch in May as tiny lightning whelks and the shells grow fast when the snail is getting plenty to eat. “As it gets older, the shell grows more slowly. The color of the shell depends greatly on light, temperature and age,” the species page notes.
What do lightning whelks eat?
From the moment they hatch, lightning whelks feed on the unhatched eggs. As adults, they will eat almost any animal matter but their diet primarily consists of clams and oysters. It uses the long edge of its shell to open the bivalve like a crowbar or it will grind the shell with its own to create a hole.
What do I do if I see the lightning whelk egg casing?
The Padre Island National Seashore recommends leaving the lightning whelk egg casings where you see them on the beach. They might become a snack later for seagulls and crabs.