941-229-8372Book Now
A child holding a glowing light while looking for shells at night

What will my kid find? A kids' guide to shells and sea creatures

10 shells and 6 critters you might see on a night shelling tour.

The rule

Keep empty shells. If it is alive, we look at it, and then it goes back in the water.

A woman holding a sea urchin in her open hands at night
Up close with a sea urchin
A smiling boy holding a small horseshoe crab at night
A small horseshoe crab
A smiling boy holding a fish he found on a night shelling tour
A find from a recent tour
A woman holding a striped fish she found on a night shelling tour
Everyone gets a close look
A girl wading in shallow glowing water with a net during a night tour
Wading in the glow
A hand holding a small fish in an orange net over seagrass
A fish in the net
A jar of starfish collected for show-and-tell
Show-and-tell finds

10 shells

Lightning whelk found on Florida beaches

Lightning whelk

Looks like a left-handed spiral. Hold it with the point up and the opening faces left.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Fighting conch found on Florida beaches

Fighting conch

A chunky shell with a bumpy top and a pointed spire. Often orange-brown.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Sand dollar found on Florida beaches

Sand dollar

A flat, round disk with a flower on top. Alive ones are fuzzy and brown. Put those back.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Olive shell found on Florida beaches

Olive shell

Smooth and shiny like a polished bean, with fancy zigzags.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Auger shell found on Florida beaches

Auger shell

Long, thin and pointy like a party hat that went on a diet.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Scallop found on Florida beaches

Scallop

Shaped like a fan with ridges. Often two wings at the hinge.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Crown conch found on Florida beaches

Crown conch

Has little spikes on top, like a crown.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Cockle found on Florida beaches

Cockle

A round, ribbed shell that looks like a tiny heart if you see both halves.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Tulip shell found on Florida beaches

Tulip shell

Long and smooth, with brown and tan stripes like a tulip bud.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back
Moon snail found on Florida beaches

Moon snail

A round, neat shell that looks like a small moon. The inside swirl is smooth.

Empty? Keep it Alive? Put it back

6 sea creatures

Horseshoe crab found in Florida waters

Horseshoe crab

A big helmet with a long tail, like a tiny dinosaur. Look, do not touch.

Look, then put it back
Seahorse found in Florida waters

Seahorse

A tiny horse head on a curly tail. Hard to see, so be quiet and look slowly.

Look, then put it back
Sea urchin found in Florida waters

Sea urchin

A round ball covered in spikes. Look only.

Look, then put it back
Starfish found in Florida waters

Starfish

A star with five arms. Keep it in the water.

Look, then put it back
Hermit crab found in Florida waters

Hermit crab

A shell that walks. If a shell has legs, it is not empty.

Look, then put it back
Small fish found in Florida waters

Small fish

Silver flashes in the light. They swim away fast.

Look, then put it back

Want the grown-up guide?

See the full guide at lookforshells.com.

Book a family night

Photo credits

Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses.

  • Lightning whelk: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Fighting conch: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Sand dollar: Gerhard H (English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Olive shell: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Auger shell: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Scallop: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Crown conch: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Cockle: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Tulip shell: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Moon snail: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Horseshoe crab: Kaldari, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Seahorse: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEF, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Sea urchin: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Starfish: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Hermit crab: Andrea Westmoreland from DeLand, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Small fish: lightbed, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Text usBook Now