This species is harvested through a managed fishery throughout its range. Regulations on time of year and location where the queen conch can and cannot be captured are defined by most countries where it is fished. Unfortunately, poaching and other forms of illegal fishing, plus fishery regulations that are not based on the best science, threaten this species, and populations will likely continue to decline. Along with Caribbean spiny lobsters , the queen conch is one of the most valuable exports for small Caribbean countries, and a collapse in this fishery would threaten coastal economies in many places.
Click here or below to download hands-on marine science activities for kids. Home Marine Life. Learn More. Take Action. The conch species live in tropical waters throughout the world, including the Caribbean, West Indies, and the Mediterranean. They live in relatively shallow waters, including reef and seagrass habitats.
Queen conchs live in several different habitat types in the Caribbean, along the Gulf coasts of Florida and Mexico, and in South America. At different depths and aquatic vegetation, their shells have different morphologies, different spine patterns, and various overall lengths and spire shape.
The samba conch is the same species as the queen, but compared to a typical queen conch, the samba lives in a shallow environment, is much shorter and very thickly shelled with a darker periostracum layer. Conchs are herbivores that eat sea grass and algae as well as dead material. In turn, they are eaten by loggerhead sea turtles, horse conchs, and humans. A queen conch can grow to be over a foot long and can live for as long as 30 years—other species have been known to live to 40 or more.
Queen conch diets, like most of the conchs in the family, are herbivorous. Larvae and juveniles feed mainly on algae and plankton, but as growing subadults, they develop a long snout that allows them to select and consume bigger pieces of algae, and as juveniles they feed on seagrass.
Adult conchs wander for miles instead of staying in one place. Rather than swimming, they use their feet to lift and and then throw their bodies forward. Conchs also are good climbers. The average home range of a queen conch varies from a third of an acre to nearly 15 acres. They move within their range at the greatest speed in the summer during their reproductive season, when males search for mates and females look for egg-laying habitats. They are social creatures and reproduce best in aggregations.
Queen conchs reproduce sexually and can spawn year-round, depending on latitude and water temperature—in some locations, females migrate from offshore feeding areas in the winter to summer spawning grounds. Females can store fertilized eggs for weeks and multiple males can fertilize any single egg mass during that time. The eggs are laid in shallow coastal waters with sandy substrates. Up to 10 million eggs can be laid by a single individual each spawning season, depending on the availability of food.
Eggs hatch after four days and the planktonic larvae known as veligers drift with the current for between 14 to 60 days. After reaching lengths of about a half-inch, they sink to the sea bottom and hide. There they morph into juvenile forms and grow to about a 4-inch length.
Finally, they move into nearby seagrass beds, where they aggregate in masses and stay until sexually mature. That happens at about 3. After the queen conch reaches maturity, the shell stops growing in length but continues to grow in breadth and its outer lip begins to expand. The vast majority of conchs have a high, curled spire, which is the twisted point at the end of the shell. They also have a prominent siphon canal that points away from the spire at the opposite end of the shell.
Some species have beautifully colored shells, like queen conchs, which can have bright pink inner surfaces. While these snails come in a variety of shapes and sizes, there are a few standout species. These creatures are the most notable amongst their relatives, and have economic and cultural value.
There are a huge variety of species that live in any number of marine habitats. Some are found in shallow, sandy areas, some in seagrass beds, and some in tropical coral reefs.
Many are found in warm, tropical waters, but species can also be found in colder temperate waters and more. These snails can be found in oceans worldwide. Some species are restricted to small ranges, or certain temperature zones, while others are more cosmopolitan and can be found virtually worldwide. There is such a wide variety of species that you can find these creatures virtually worldwide.
Some species are largely herbivorous, while others are carnivorous in nature. Herbivores feed mostly on algae and underwater plants, carnivores feed on other animals. The carnivorous species will eat worms and other small invertebrates, fish, and carrion. Each species has different dietary needs, some are highly specialized and others are generalists that with eat just about anything.
The primary use of these mollusks is for consumption. There are a number of commercial fisheries to capture different species for seafood. Some of the most common uses are in chowders, gumbos, fritters, burgers, and salads.
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