You could hear a pin drop during Jose Leal\u2019s hour-long seminar titled Southwest Florida Amazing Mollusks, Friday, January 16, at the Collier County\u202fPublic Library on Marco Island. A crowd of about 50 local shell enthusiasts\u2014mostly women\u2014eagerly listened to every word from the soft spoken Leal, science director and curator of the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and Aquarium on Sanibel Island. The program was sponsored by the Marco Island Shell Club.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps most interesting was Leal\u2019s explanation of why the shelling is so strong in this area\u2014among the strongest in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey like to say Sanibel is the shelling capital of the world,\u201d Leal said. “I do consider Southwest Florida, especially here in Collier County, in this whole area, to be one of the real shelling capitals of the world. Because there’s a lot you can find here, between Keewaydin Island all the way south to Cape Romano. It’s a real paradise for shelling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leal said there\u2019s a scientific reason why we have so many shells on our beaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the reasons why we have so many shells here,\u201d Leal said, “is that we have a very broad continental shelf that’s so wide that there’s a lot of area for animals to grow. And because it’s so shallow, when you have a big storm or you have winds coming from the northwest like we’re having right now over the last couple of days with the cold front, that’s when the shells pop up on the beaches.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leal wants everyone to know that the Bailey-Matthews Museum is back and better than ever after receiving extensive hurricane damage in September of 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“During Hurricane Ian,the museum sustained severe damage,\u201d Leal said.\u201cWe had infiltration of water through the drywall in our gallery, which we call the Great Wall of Shells. So we just reopened that about three months ago.\u202fIf you\u2019re ever in our neck of the woods, in Lee County, stop in and see us. Our museum is totally different from the museum you knew before Hurricane Ian.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leal spent much of the seminar sharing information about the\u202fanatomy, behaviors, and subtle shell variations among many of the most popular shells found on our beaches. He examined egg capsules of tulips, lace murex, lightning whelks, and others, describing embryo development, escape hatch membranes, and laying behavior. Predation and feeding strategies were also discussed.\u00a0<\/p>\n