Channel Whelk

Channel Whelk

Channel Whelk
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Buccinidae
Subfamily: Busyconinae
Tribe: Busycotypini
Genus: Busycotypus
Species: B. canaliculatus
Scientific name: Busycotypus canaliculatus

   Shells of the Channeled Whelk typically reach 5 to 8 inches in length. The shell is smooth and subpyriform (generally pear-shaped), with a large body whorl and a straight siphonal canal. Between the whorls there is a wide, deep channel at the suture, and there are often weak knobs at the shoulders of the whorls. Finely sculpted lines begin at the siphonal canal and revolve around the shell surface.
   The color of the shell is typically a buff gray to light tan. The shell aperture is located on the right side, i.e. the shell of this species is almost always dextral in coiling. Left-handed or sinistral specimens occur rarely.
   Channeled whelks prefer sandy, shallow, intertidal or subtidal areas, and can be common in these habitats. They tend to be nocturnal and are known to eat clams.
   This species is endemic to the eastern coast of the United States, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to northern Florida. It has also been introduced into San Francisco Bay.