Florida Fighting Conch

Florida Fighting Conch

Florida Fighting Conch
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superfamily: Stromboidea
Family: Strombidae
Genus: Strombus
Species: S. alatus
Scientific name: Strombus alatus

 Florida Fighting Conch is a species of medium-sized warm-water sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae.
  This species is closely similar to Strombus pugilis, the West Indian fighting conch, which has a more southerly range. Strombus alatus shells have less prominent subsutural spines and a slightly more projected outer lip. Some scientists have treated the two as distinct species; others as subspecies.
  The Fighting Conch is found in warm Atlantic waters, from North Carolina in southern United States and throughout the Caribbean Sea. It inhabits sea grass beds and sand and gravel bottoms in shallow waters.

Florida Fighting Conch

  The shell can be up to 4" in length. The snail is protected by a very hard white, ivory, yellow, brown, gray, orange and/or green shell with shell spines. The base foot has a sharp serrated spike which the snail uses to defend itself.
  The Fighting conch is considered an easy species to care for in aquariums. Since it is a burrowing animal, it should be provided with a deep sand bed – preferably live sand.
  Despite its name, the Fighting conch is generally a peaceful species that will leave other animals alone. Males are however territorial towards each other and will fight unless the aquarium is large enough for each male to establish his own territory.