Note:
Jim Cordy will lead an Astronaut Trail Shell Club trip to Eleuthera in 2015 June 11 - 18th.
This trip is open to non-members.
This trip is open to non-members.
You can contact Jim by phone at 321-452-5736 or email him at corshell@cfl.rr.com
Conus, with their simple and streamlined architecture, are
the art deco shells of the snail world They fascinate without the rococo frills of
a Murex or Spondylus. A cone shell’s structural appeal is subtle, even if some species throw
out all the stops where markings are concerned. They are never plentiful in the
Bahamas and the pleasure of finding one is accentuated when you roll it back
and forth on your palm. This is one centered damn shell. Evolution does some
goofy problem solving, but there is nothing goofy about a cone.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
And as far as behavior goes, what’s cooler than a snail that
hunts with venomous darts? The vast majority of cone species are harmless but
the mystique of the venom, of the danger, adds a touch of dark glamour. On yeah,
you think, this baby is deadly, a ruthless predator... of worms!
And so we love them, the cones.
The cone to score on Eleuthera is Abbott’s. The many color
variations are why, despite a taxonomic downgrade, the shells remain appealing
to collectors. But it is a trick to find one. It takes persistence. It takes
some effort. Abbott’s cones live along the front-side reefs on the eastern side
of Eleuthera, the Atlantic side.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
We find them in Winding Bay.
It’s a bit of a hike along the beach to get to the spot
where we make our base of operations. We try to pare down what we carry:
snorkeling gear, mesh bags, beach towels, cameras, sunglasses, hats, water, a
sandwich & a granola bar or two. One year George Dick brought out some
Cuban cigars, but you know, just the necessities!
It’s a bit of a maze, the route we swim to reach the close
reef in the middle of the bay where the cones are. Jim scouts the hard bottom
along the reef, looking under stones and rubble (putting them back where he
found them, as every sheller should). Full disclosure: it takes a knack to find
the cones. I’ve gotten maybe four of them over a half dozen visits. I am easily distracted. I do a bit of shell hunting and I take photos and just generally
poke around for an hour or two. When I swim in for a break and lunch, Jim keeps
hunting, working for his shells.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
Back on land, I swap out my mask for hat and sunglasses. I
hang my gear on a fallen tree, bare wood bleached white by the sun. After a tuna sandwich and a thick slice of
the best pineapple of my life, I go for a hike south down towards the entrance
to Half Sound Bay. This is one of my favorite beach hikes in all the world. There
are outcrops of rocks and small cliffs that form small bays. When the tide is
up, the climbing is just interesting enough to be fun.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
I poke around under the trees to see what recent storms have
washed up: hawser anacondas, pieces of hull, glass bottles, buoys and, of
course, plastic trash from a hundred nations. On one trip, Joanne Mann got a
dark green glass fishing float the size of a duckpin bowling ball. I was so
jealous! Then I found one of my own with the netting still attached, dangling
from the branch of a mangrove. Awesome.
Photos © Ellen Bulger
Back in the water, I don’t even try to look for cones during
my afternoon swim. I’m lazy. But just noodling around, I have found nice chanks
and queen conches, including the pineapple-yellow job that ended up on the
cover of American Conchologist Magazine.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
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| The colors have faded, but ah, the sculpture! |
I watch triggerfish feeding in the
shallows, rolling themselves sideways to feed in water no deeper than the length
of my hand. They slip in and out with the surge of the waves, playing what
looks to be a dangerous game for their supper. Eventually, reluctantly, I head back to the beach...
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
The afternoon shadows lengthen
and we gather up our gear and our shells and head back to the car.
Back at Tarpum Bay, we can put the cones into a small
plastic tank for a photo op. Their soft bodies are maraschino cherry red and
look like taffy.
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
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| photo © Ellen Bulger |
