Whelk

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About Whelks
The whelk is a marine gastropod sometime confused with the conch although is quite different from a conch. Whelks are large snails found in temperate waters and they can be found at forty meters offshore. This specie of gastropods survives by feeding on crabs, clams and lobsters. Similar to other marine gastropods they eat by using their randula which helps them bore holes to the shells of their preys. Whelks hold their prey with the help of their large, muscular foot. Whelks posses a curved shell with spines alongside the shoulder. Similar to other mollusks, whelks have a covering, which is a slim coat of tissue positioned among the body and the shell and which creates the shell. The shell is made of calcium carbonate extracted by the whelks from the seas. Whelks’ shells size can grow up to twenty one centimeters and they usually have a light or dark grey color, frequently having brown and white stripes. The shells spirals are right-handed and have a long siphonal canal. The shell’s color and form can vary according to the species.

They are found in more temperate waters than conch, with a darker meat and stronger flavor, perhaps less "sweet".