Though not as conspicuous as a Great Egret nor as adorable as a Semipalmated Plover, knobbed whelks, a type of mollusc, migrate too! At this time of year, they are easy to find behind Masonboro Island. These large shellfish can grow up to be a foot in length, and when alive show off a fiery orange interior. They make a living eating other shellfish, including oysters and clams.
An adult knobbed whelk. The brown, oval shaped structure in the middle of the shell is the operculum, the "door" that the whelk can close to protect itself from predators or dehydration if it's caught above the low tide line. Photo by Lindsay Addison
The extreme warm and cold temperatures of summer and winter keeps them in deeper waters, but during the spring and fall, when temperatures are moderate, they move to shallow waters and lay their eggs. They produce a string of to 150 disc-shaped capsules that each contain up to 100 eggs. The female whelks anchor the necklace-like strings in the sand to keep them from washing up on shore, where the developing eggs would not survive.
Beachcombers may find both the washed up empty shells of whelks, as well as their empty egg cases.
