WHELKS
Cittarium pica, you can see the disc called operculum Cittarium picaalso known asWest Indian Top Shells, Magpie Shells, Wilks, Bulgao, Caracoles, QuiguaandCigua,and as I call themWhelks,are an edible species of Sea Snail found in the Caribbean.
Cittarium picais considered the third most economically
important invertebrate species in theCaribbean, after
the Spiny Lobster,Panulirus argusand theQueen Conch,Eustrombus gigas.
Like it's counterparts here, it has gone locally extinct in some habitats due toover-fishing.
The species is also native to Bermuda, but was wiped out by over-fishing after colonization. Since then, there have been efforts to reintroduce the species.
| LIMPETS
Limpets clamped down look like little bumps on the rocks Patellogastropodais the scientific name for True Limpets, which are also known as Lapas, Opihi and Báirnach. They have flattened, cone-shapedshells, and some species of Limpet have holes at the top of the cone.
Limpetsare abundant and are commonly found strongly stuck to rocks or other hardsubstrates, but are sometimes hard to see,
because their shells usually blend in with the rocks.
When true Limpets are fully clamped down, it is impossible to remove them from the rock using brute force alone, and the limpet will allow itself to be destroyed rather than stop clinging to its rock.This survival strategy has led to the limpet being used as ametaphorfor obstinacy or stubbornness.
| PERIWINKLES
The most common colors for Periwinkles are grayish brown and yellow. Littorina littorea,The Common Periwinkle issmall species of edible Sea Snail. Like the Whelks, it is a marine gastropod that has a spiral shell.
Though the term "Periwinkle" is often given to any small edible marine snail, the Common Periwinkle,Littorina littorea,is the most well known of all of the periwinkles as they are the most commonly eaten.
They are an adaptable species as they thrive in different salinities and exposure levels; and across most beach zones, making them very abundant.
The color of the shell widely varies, most commonly being brown or yellow, but can be white, green or even banded.
The largest edible periwinkle can reach a size of up to 2 inches.
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