Shell Feature: Banded Tulip

The smooth, swirly banded tulip shells have an elegant spiral shape that resembles a tie-dyed tulip flower. You can find a variety of sizes, with a maximum size of about 4 inches. The banded tulip is a common shell in Southwest Florida and is also found in other areas of the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Florida, and northern Caribbean Sea.

Scientific name of the banded tulip: Cinctura lilium
Tulips are predatory sea snails, feeding on other smaller mollusks.
Coloring: gray, purple, pink, blue, orange and white with dark brown bands.
Size: up to 4 inches
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Find banded tulips in Southwest Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Florida and the northern Caribbean Sea. It typically lives on sand between 2 and 150 feet deep. Frequently found on Sanibel Island, you can often find these pretty shells washed ashore, or live snails in or near tide pools.
-Melissa