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

Aug 12, 2022

Meal Time!

During field work in Fort Myers a few weeks ago, National Shell Museum Marine Biologist Jorden Falker captured this remarkable image of a Lightning Whelk (Sinistrofulgur sinistrum) holding a Sunray Venus clam (Macrocallista nimbosa) in preparation for a meal. Lightning Whelks are known to use the edge of their aperture (the external lip) as a “clam knife” to pry open bivalves. To that end, they have to place the clam just so, which they do using their big foot to adjust the c

The Trapped Sunray Venus, or a Meal Gone Wrong!

José H. Leal

Apr 4, 2014

The Trapped Sunray Venus, or a Meal Gone Wrong!

This Nine-armed Sea star (Luidia senegalensis) "choked for life" on the shell of a Sunray Venus (Macrocallista nimbosa). Many species of Sea Stars are known to feed on clams; the Sea Star distends the end of its gut to feed on the mollusk, and sometimes the shell gets stuck in the process. The Sea Star was able to continue living, growing "around" the shell. The Sea Star was found by Museum friend Regina Salis (Rochester, NY) during the first week of March 2014, on Sanibel. T

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