It could be a type of It could be a type of It could be a It could be a type of topshell whelk Dog whelk turret It could be a periwinkle Shell (Nucella lapillus) shell spire shell Thick top shell (Osilinus lineatus) Dark stripes Key on body Egg Underside capsules Actual size It could be a type of (Hydrobia sp) Common periwinkle spiral worm White ‘Colar’ (Littorina littorea) Flat periwinkle (Littorinasp) Yes Roughly ‘ribbed’ shell. Very high up shore ‘Tooth inside (Turitella communis) opening (Spirorbis sp) Does it have 6 Common whelk No (Buccinum undatum) Yes or more whorls Brown, speckled Netted dog whelk body (twists)? Painted topshell (Nassarius reticulatus) (Calliostoma zizyphinum) No Rough periwinkle Flattened spire Yes Is it long, thin (Littorina saxatilis) Yes Yes and cone shaped Is it permanently No like a unicorn’s horn? attached to Is there a groove or teeth No Is there mother No a surface? in the shell opening? of pearl inside It could be a type of the shell opening? bivalve Yes Yes Common otter-shell (Lutraria lutraria) Bean-like tellin No Is the shell in (Fabulina fabula) Is it 2 parts? spiraled? Common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) It could be a Flat, rounded No sand No Great scallop mason It could be a Is the shell a (Pecten maximus) shell Razor shell worm keel worm Wedge-shaped Is the case dome or (Ensis sp) No Pacific oyster shell made from Yes cone shape? (Crassostrea gigas) Shell can be Peppery furrow shell very large (Scrobicularia plana) sand grains? Elongated and and doesn’t (Lanice conchilega) deep-bodied fully close with large ‘frills’ No (Pomatoceros sp) Yes It could be a type of sea urchin It could be a type of An acorn Native oyster Empty barnacle barnacle Does it have that may be found in estuaries and shores in the UK. Images are not to scale. scale. not to are in the UK. Images and shores in estuaries be found may that (Ostrea edulis) shell Yes an opening Round and flat Common mussel Is the case on top? with fine ‘frills’ (Mytilus edulis) Yes This guide is not intended to be comprehensive; it is a broad representation of conspicuous animals of representation it is a broad be comprehensive; to This guide is not intended round and Green sea urchin spiny? (Psammechinus miliaris) Volcano barnacle No Warming seas, non-native species and human (Balanus perforatus) If you still can’t identify what you have found, it may be something not shown on this guide; try activities are all affecting our oceans. Help us to It could be a type of spot changes by telling us what you see on the limpet sketching or taking a photo of your find and look it Limpet up when you get home. You may find the MarLIN shore at www.mba.ac.uk/rml. Start = Non-native (Patella sp) website helpful: www.marlin.ac.uk This key is an extract from ‘A Guide to Exploring species underside of shell NE BIO Estuarine Plants and Animals’, which was produced RI LO A G This Key is for M by the MBA on behalf of the Exe Estuary I C E A H Animals with a Hard Slipper limpet L Partnership with funding from the Crown Estate T (Crepidula fornicata) Shell or casing A S N S O www.mba.ac.uk/learningzone O C I AT I.