Who Lived in
This Shell?

Uses jet propulsion to move — it sucks in and expels water to "swim"! Queen Scallops are hermaphroditic, meaning they are female and male at the same time.

Just like Shelly! They come in many colours, from bright yellow to dark brown. Found in rockpools camouflaged by bladder wrack seaweed.

A Common Cockle with a round white shell and deep ridges. They love sandy and muddy environments and are filter feeders that eat plankton and other small organisms.

The largest sea snail in the UK, reaching up to 10cm! Their shells are white or brown with a wavy pattern. Whelks are carnivores that eat worms and smaller molluscs.

Rough ridges outside, pearly white inside. Oysters start life as males but can change sex depending on water temperature. Populations have declined by over 95% from historic rates.

Cuttlefish bones are a type of shell! Related to squids and octopuses — a group called cephalopods. Common cuttlefish are the largest found in UK seas and fierce predators.

They live in vertical burrows beneath the sand and feed by filtration. Their brown shells are long, narrow and very fragile. You will see lots of them on the beach after stormy weather.

Grey cone shaped shell. They cling to rocks when the tide is out, usually returning to their favourite spot. They eat algae and use mucus trails to find their way around.

An invasive oyster species in the UK, now widely established along the south coast. Due to rising sea temperatures, they are forming huge reefs that damage ecosystems and outcompete native species.

They look similar to cockles but these shells are flatter and the ridges run lengthways. They like to live in the sand by shallow water and are also filter feeders.

They form dense mussel beds using fibres called byssus threads — also known as a beard! They also use these fibres to protect themselves from predators.

They like to hide in seaweed patches and look very similar to garden snails. They graze on algae that grows on the rocks.

Similar to the periwinkle but their shells are thinner and lighter in colour. They are found from Norway to Spain and are very common on UK beaches.