Curator's Corner

Museum, research, and collection updates from Dr. José H. Leal, plus Shell of the Week, which highlights a different species every Friday. Most Shells of the Week—but not all—are found in Southwest Florida.

Dr. José H. Leal serves as the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum’s Science Director and Curator. He received his Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami and has served at the Museum since 1996. Under his leadership, the Museum was awarded its first accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2010.

José H. Leal

Jan 20, 2017

The Antillean Tusk Shell

Tusk shells belong in the molluscan class Scaphopoda, and are so named because they resemble small elephant tusks. The Antillean Tusk Shell, Antalis antillaris (d’Orbigny, 1853) is one of several local members of the family Dentaliidae. Its shell reaches about a half-inch in length, and is ornamented by longitudinal ridges, which are separated by grooves containing translucent “windows” of thinner shell material of unknown function. The local tusk shells are being studied by

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Curator's Corner