WELCOME!
This website is brought to you advertisement-free. I hope you will benefit from its contents without having to endure the visual clutter and distraction of meaningless ads. It is just another way for us to say thank you and give back to science. Please enjoy!
This is the Home Page for the Shells, a website under the Mexican Fauna.org umbrella. Mexican-Shells.org became a stand-alone website on March 1, 2023. Mexican Shells.org is set up as a .org (as it is most definitely a non-profit) and is one of six stand alone .org websites that cover six basic areas of biological life found in Mexico (Birds, Crabs, Fish, Marine Life, Shells and Terrestrial Life). Historically the majority of its contents were found within Mexican Fish.com.
Class I. Bivalues or Pelecypod Shells. A representative: the Spiny Oyster Shell, Spondylus leucacanthus.
Class II. Cephalopod Shells. A representative: the Pacific Argonaut Shell, Argonauta pacificus.
Class III. Gastropod Shells. A representative: the Peruvian Conch Shell, Lobatus peruvianus.
Class IV. Polyplacophor Shells. A representative: the Conspicuous Chiton, Stenoplax conspicua.
Class V. Scaphopod Shells. The sole representative: the Hexagon Tusk Shell, Dentalium neohexagonum.
The current inventory of known Shells that reside in Mexico is vast, poorly organized and there is limited information available in a consolidated location. My good friend and strong contributor Bob Hillis and I gave significant thought and effort into publishing a book “Mexican Shells of Western Mexico” but we were unable to find a publisher that would work with us. The information presented herein was obtained from the public literature including such internet search engines as Google and the ICUN (which is used to obtain the current conservation status of each species.
The current Shell inventory within this WWW site includes 281 individual species all of which are found in various locations throughout the coastal waters of Western Mexico. There are 85 Bivalve or Pelecypod Shells, 3 Cephalopod Shells, 186 Gastropod Shells, 3 Polyplacophor Shells, and 1 Scaphopod Shell currently found within this WWW site.
The photographs provided are taken of shells collected in various locations throughout Mexico with the locations clearly marked. There are a handful of photographs that were collected in coastal waters off San Diego, California. Via the links below you can also find a comprehensive list of all Shells presented by:
Shells (281) – Alphabetical Index by Common Name
Shells (281) – Alphabetical Index by Genus and Species
Shells (281) – Alphabetical Index by 74 Families
Shells (281) – Alphabetical Index by 74 Families with Photographs
For all the Shells found within this website each name has been linked to a specific page that has additional photographs of each individual bird.
NEW SHELL ADDITIONS for 2023 – 9
Coffee Bean Shell, Pseudopusla californiano
Cognata Tellin Shell, Leporimetis cognata
Edaphus Cone Shell, Conus edaphus
Golden Callista Shell, Meagpitaria aurantiaca
Mahogany Cone Shell, Conasprella mahogani
Mexican Jewel Box Shell, Chama buddiana
Pacific Spiny Cockle Shell, Dallocardia quadragenaria
Radiant Button Shell, Pusula radians
Wiegmann Triton Shell, Monoplex wiegmanni
A Special THANK YOU to my exceptional photographers that have given us access to their extensive portfolios:
Dr. Colin Campbell, D.V.M., Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur
Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah
Also a Special THANK YOU to Bob and Colin for their intellectual support, writings and productive discussions.
Other Contributors of Collections, Photographs and/or Identifications Include: Dr. Hank Chaney, Santa Barbara, California; Kathy Farley, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur; Mark and Becky Fonteno, Las Barilles, Baja California Sur; Dr. Paul Valentich-Scott, Santa Barbara, California; Ron Woheau, Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.
Thank you for visiting. I hope you found this portfolio as interesting and diverse as I have.
John T. Snow, Ph.D.