Common Baby's Ear (Sinum perspectivum Say, 1831): Whisper in My Ear

The Common Baby's Ear is roundish in outline and 1-1½ inches in diameter. It is almost flat with a large aperture, or opening, and a curve like a human ear. The shell is pure white unless it has been discolored from prolonged contact with debris or chemicals in the sand. The inside of the shell is usually pearly-white.

Despite the rather delicate appearance of the Common Baby's Ear, and its sweet name, Sinum perspectivum is a carnivorous snail, as are all members of the Moon Shell family of which it is a part.

The Common Baby's Ear may grace beaches from Maryland to Brazil, and in Bermuda.

Notes

The shells pictured here were found at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For more information on the Common Baby's Ear see:
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
Classification: Family Naticidae; Superfamily Naticoidea; Infraorder Discopoda; Suborder Neotaenioglossa; Order Caenogastropoda.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification corresponds to that published by the Conchologists of America, Inc.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Common Baby's Ear:Well-Named Naticidae

Notes

Common Baby's Ear:
Well-Named Naticidae