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

Dec 4, 2015

The Bruised Nassa and its Egg Capsules

I last covered the Bruised Nassa, Nassarius vibex (Say, 1822), in this column on September 4, 2015. On that occasion, I mentioned that the habitats preferred by the species are the sandy-mud and mud flats of the back-bay areas that are so common in our part of the coast. I also mentioned the scavenging feeding habits of the species: Bruised Nassas are like “little vultures,” gathering in large numbers to feed on the dead bodies and remains of small marine creatures. Recently,

José H. Leal

Sep 4, 2015

The Bruised Nassa

The Bruised Nassa, Nassarius vibex (Say, 1822), is a denizen of the mud flats and back-bays of Southwest Florida and other areas of the tropical western Atlantic. Its shell, measuring about 0.5 inch, is extremely variable, but typical of the species is the relatively broad shield that surrounds the shell opening, or aperture. Bruised Nassas are scavengers, feeding on the decaying corpses of other marine animals, including fish, horse crabs, crabs and other crustaceans, to nam

José H. Leal

Jun 20, 2014

The Bruised Nassa

Bruised Nassa, Nassarius vibex (Say, 1822)*, are often neglected by collectors, probably because of their small size. The little snails, which never measure more than half an inch, are the "first sanitation responders" in the mud flats of SW Florida, gathering in large numbers to devour carcasses of dead fish and other marine animals as soon as they start to decompose. In a couple of experiments done by Museum volunteers using “aged” bait shrimp deployed in shallow bay water,

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