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Sinistrofulgur perversum, the lightning whelk, is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. This species has a left-handed or sinistral shell. It eats mostly bivalves.
In Native American rituals, the spirals of the lightning whelk were associated with celestial elements such as the sun and fire, as well as purification rituals. Although not directly involved in the making of the “black drink” consumed before battles or important events, lightning whelk shells were used to store the beverage when necessary.
Fulguropsis spirata, commonly known as pear whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. The species is also occasionally referred to as the Gulf pear whelk to differentiate it from other Fulguropsis species which are also referred to as pear whelks.
The knobbed whelk, Busycon carica, is the second-largest species, growing up to 30 cm long. They have tubercles (spines) along the shoulder. They open clams with their muscular foot and insert their long proboscis to digest the flesh. The knobbed whelk is a common predator of the foreshore mudflats as far offshore as 50 m.
Whelks are any of several carnivorous sea snail species [1] with a swirling, tapered shell. Many are eaten by humans, such as the common whelk of the North Atlantic. Most whelks belong to the family Buccinidae and are known as "true whelks." Others, such as the dog whelk, belong to several sea snail families that are not closely related.
The taxonomy of sinistral busyconids has been subject to several disputes, including at what rank to recognize them as distinct from their sister taxon, Busycon carica, and how many species are represented.
Many species of whelks, Buccinidae, including: Several different species of large whelks in the family Buccinidae on sale at a fish market in Japan. Channeled whelk; Lightning whelk; Knobbed whelk; Other sea snail groups: Bullacta exarata, a bubble snail; Amphibola crenata, an air-breathing mud snail; melo melo a volute snail; euspira heros a ...
Many whelks are capable of boring through the shell of bivalves, and because of this, some species cause much harm in oyster farms. True whelks can even attack fish caught in a net by extending their probosces to twice the length of their own bodies. The female whelk lays spongy egg capsules with hundreds of eggs.