Sanibel Island has earned its reputation as the Shell Island honestly. It is made out of shells, created over thousands of years. When islanders dig gardens in their backyards, they find conchs, whelks, scallops and clam shells often perfectly intact.
Sanibel Island does the twist as it parades along the coastline among a string of other more orderly, straight-and-narrow islands. The east-west torque of Sanibel's south end acts like a shovel scooping up all the seashells that the Gulf imports from the Caribbean and other southern seas.
The abundance and variety of shells have made Sanibel shell-obsessed. People come from all over the world, drawn by the song of the seashell. They parade along the sands doubled over in a stance that's been dubbed the Sanibel Stoop. Every March, they gather to compare and appreciate shell collections and shell art at the annual Sanibel Shell Fair & Show which just took place. Throughout the year, shell shops sell seashells by the seashore (and by the thousands).
Shells are the primary motif in island decor and boutique gifts. You'll find everything from finely crafted "shell-igrams" to lucite toilet seats with seashells lacquered in.
On the beach, each shell has a story. Though shells are often battered and broken by the time they are washed up on the beach for us to find there are enough intact to make the exploration memorable. You will notice that on many intact shells there is a perfectly round hole, almost as if someone took a drill to it and tossed it back on the beach.
Many times, a snail drilled that hole in the shell.
Snails have a tongue-like structure, called a radula, covered in tiny chitinous teeth. Some snails use the radula to bore right through the shells of other mollusks.
Predatory snails hold their prey with their foot while the radula goes to work drilling through the shell. A gland near the radula secretes chemicals that weaken the prey’s calcareous shell, making it easier to drill. Once the hole is drilled, and the mollusk killed, the snail can pry open the shell and feast upon the meaty insides.
Although some shells might seem fragile, drilling through them with a radula can really do a number on the tiny teeth of a snail. Thankfully, the teeth on the radula are continually replaced as they are worn down so the snail can continue to drill.
Like a vacation accommodation, shells are unique with their own history and personality. They do comprise an entire book. Come visit our beaches and you will find so many chapters of the book from one location to another!
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