For other uses, see Conch (disambiguation).

Conch
An adult Queen Conch shell, Strombus gigas
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Orthogastropoda Superorder: Caenogastropoda Order: Sorbeoconcha Suborder: Hypsogastropoda Infraorder: Littorinimorpha Superfamily: Stromboidea Family: Strombidae Genus: Strombus
Species
Strombus gigas Strombus luhuanus Strombus pugilis Strombus tricornis Strombus canarium Strombus dolomena Strombus gibberulus Strombus conomurex Strombus lentigo Strombus doxander Strombus urceus Strombus fragilis Strombus gallus Strombus dentatus Strombus marginatus Strombus raninus Strombus buvonius

A conch (pronounced in the U. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Orthogastropoda is one of two major Taxonomic groupings of snails and slugs an extremely large Subclass within the huge class Gastropoda. Caenogastropoda is a very large Taxonomic group a Superorder of saltwater (and in a minor way freshwater snails ( aquatic and marine Sorbeoconcha is a very large Taxonomic order of Snails (mostly sea snails with gills and often with an operculum) According to one version of the taxonomy, Hypsogastropoda is a Suborder of sea snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in Littorinimorpha is a large Taxonomic grouping an Infraorder which consists primarily of sea Snail families but also includes some freshwater Stromboidea is a Taxonomic Superfamily of Sea snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the Infraorder Littorinimorpha Strombidae, Common name the true conchs, is a Taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea Snails with an operculum Strombus gigas Linnaeus 1758 now known as Eustrombus gigas, is a Species of very large edible sea Snail, a marine S. A. as "konk" or "conch", IPA: /ˈkɒŋk/ or /ˈkɒŋtʃ/)^[1] is one of a number of different species of medium-sized to large saltwater snails or their shells. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the

True conchs are marine gastropod mollusks in the family Strombidae, and the genus Strombus. Marine is an Umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the Sea or Ocean, such as Marine biology, Marine The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 Strombidae, Common name the true conchs, is a Taxonomic family of medium-sized to very large sea Snails with an operculum

The name "conch" however, is often quite loosely applied in English-speaking countries to several kinds of very large sea snail shells which are pointed at both ends, i. e. shells which have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal. A spire is a descriptive term for part of the shell of a Snail, a Gastropod Mollusc shell or Gastropod shell. In some sea Snails ( marine Gastropod Molluscs in the Infraorder Neogastropoda) the animal has an anterior extension of the These other species include the crown conch Melongena species; the horse conch Pleuroploca gigantea; and the chank shell, Turbinella species. In Botany, Melongena is a proposed section and a Synonym of Solanum. Pleuroploca gigantea, Common name the horse conch is a Species of extremely large Predatory subtropical and tropical sea Snail None of these are true conchs; they are all in other taxonomic families. Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification The word comes from the Greek, taxis (meaning 'order' 'arrangement' and, nomos

True Conches The true conch species within the genus Strombus vary in size from fairly small to very large. Several of the larger species such as Strombus gigas, the pink conch or queen conch, are economically important as food sources. Strombus gigas Linnaeus 1758 now known as Eustrombus gigas, is a Species of very large edible sea Snail, a marine Strombus gigas is also capable of producing (very rarely) a pink, gem quality pearl. A pearl is a hard roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled Mollusk.

At least 65 species of Strombidae are extinct, and a much larger number of species exist only in the fossil record. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. Of the living species, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Six species live in the greater Caribbean region, including the Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, and the West Indian Fighting Conch, Strombus pugilis. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Strombus gigas Linnaeus 1758 now known as Eustrombus gigas, is a Species of very large edible sea Snail, a marine .

Many species of conch, such as the Queen Conch, live on sandy bottoms among beds of sea grass in warm tropical waters.

Strombus gigas is included in Appendix II of the UNEP's CITES list of endangered species, and international trade is heavily restricted. The UN Environment Programme (or UNEP) coordinates United Nations environmental activities assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies CITES (the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments drafted An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation [1]

Contents 1 Anatomy 2 Human use 3 Conch shell as a musical instrument 4 Religious symbolism of other conches 4.1 Hindu tradition 4.2 Buddhist tradition 5 Literature 6 Media 7 References

Anatomy

Conches have spirally constructed shells. This spiral shell growth is usually left but on very rare occasions it can be right handed.

True conchs have long eye stalks with colorful ring-marked eyes. The shell has a long and narrow aperture, and a short siphonal canal, with another indentation near the anterior end called a stromboid notch. In some sea Snails ( marine Gastropod Molluscs in the Infraorder Neogastropoda) the animal has an anterior extension of the This notch is where one of the two eye stalks protrudes from the shell. The animal also has a foot ending in a pointed, sickle-shaped, operculum. The operculum, meaning little lid (plural opercula or operculums is a corneous or Calcareous structure which exists in some groups of marine freshwater and land The animals grow a flared lip on their shells only upon reaching sexual maturity. Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an Organism can reproduce.

Conchs have a characteristic leaping motion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward. They lay eggs in long, gelatinous strands. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum.

Human use

The mollusk inside the shell is used as food, either eaten raw, as in salads, or cooked, as in fritters, chowders, gumbos, and burgers. Salad is a mixture of cold foods usually including vegetables and/or fruits often with a dressing occasionally nuts or Croutons, and sometimes with the addition of A fritter is any kind of food coated in batter and Deep fried. Chowder (commonly pronounced Chow-dur but occasionally pronounced chow-dah or chow-dare is any of a variety of Soups enriched with Salt pork Fatback and Gumbo is a stew or soup originating in Louisiana, and found across the Gulf Coast of the United States and into the U In East Asian cuisines, the seafood is often cut into thin slices and then steamed or stir-fried. Seafood is any Sea Animal or Seaweed that is served as Food, or is suitable for eating particularly saltwater animals such Steaming is a method of Cooking using Steam. Steaming is considered a relatively healthier cooking technique and capable to cook almost all kinds of food Stir frying is an Umbrella term used to describe two fast Chinese cooking techniques chǎo ( 炒) and bào ( 爆) In El Salvador, live conch is served in a cocktail of onion, tomato, cilantro, and lemon juice. Lemon juice is squeezed onto the cocktail, causing the conch to squirm, and then the whole thing is slurped down whole, as in the manner of oysters. Conch meat is also often confused with "Scungilli", which is more accurately whelk meats. A whelk is one of several Species of large sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks found in temperate waters All parts of the conch meat are edible. However, most people only find the white meat appetizing.

Conch shells are sometimes used as decoration, as decorative planters, and in cameo making. For the "brief appearance" see Cameo appearance. For the "chemical emergency software" see Computer-Aided Management of Emergency In classic Mayan art, conchs are shown being utilized in many ways including as paint and ink holders for elite scribes, as bugles or trumpets, and as hand weapons (held by combatants by inserting their hands in the aperture). Maya art is considered by many to be the most sophisticated and beautiful of the ancient New World. The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and often depicted conch shells in their art. The Moche civilization (alternately the Mochica culture Early Chimu Pre-Chimu Proto-Chimu etc Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. ^[2] Some American Aboriginals used cylindrical conch columella beads as part of breastplates and other personal adornment. See Hair Pipes.

In popular folklore, it is believed that if one holds an open conch shell (or any other large marine snail shell) to the ear, the ocean can be heard. This phenomenon is caused by the resonant cavity of the shell producing a form of pink noise from the surrounding background ambiance. Pink noise or 1/f noise is a signal or process with a Frequency spectrum such that the power spectral density is Proportional

In some Caribbean and African American cemeteries conch shells are placed on graves. (The Last Miles of the Way: African Homegoing Traditions, 1890-Present, edited by Elaine Nichols).

In some countries, cleaned Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) shells or polished fragments are sold, mainly to tourists, as souvenirs or in jewelry. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel A souvenir (from French, for memory) memento or keepsake is an object a traveler brings home for the memories associated with Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones Without a permit, however, export is a breach of CITES regulations and may lead to arrest [2]. CITES (the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments drafted This is most likely to occur on return to the tourist's home country while clearing customs. Customs is an Authority or agency in a Country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods In the UK conch shells are the ninth most seized import. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[3] Conch shells are occasionally used as a building material, either in place of bricks or as bulk for landfill.

Conch shell as a musical instrument

Conch shells can be used as wind instruments, by blowing into one end of the shell. A wind instrument is a Musical instrument that contains some type of Resonator (usually a tube in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing This is common in some Hindu sects (see below).

The American jazz trombonist Steve Turre also plays conches, notably with his group Sanctified Shells. Steve Turre (born September 12, 1948 in Omaha Nebraska)

A partially echoplexed Indian conch was featured prominently as the primary instrument depicting the extraterrestrial environment of the derelict spaceship in Jerry Goldsmith's score for the film Alien. Delay is an Audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time " Space Jockey " (or "The Pilot" is the nickname given to a type of extraterrestrial from the ''Alien'' series of movies and games first appearing Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith ( February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American Film score Composer A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film Alien is a 1979 science fiction / Horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver. Director Ridley Scott was so impressed by the eerie effect that he requested its use throughout the rest of the score, including the Main Title. Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30 1937 in South Shields, Tyne and Wear) is a British Academy Award Nominated and Golden Globe Emmy Award and BAFTA Award winning ^[4]

Religious symbolism of other conches

Hindu tradition

A Sankh shell (the shell of a Turbinella species in the gastropod family Turbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell, or a chank shell. Turbinellidae are a family of sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the order Sorbeoconcha. This is a major Hindu article of prayer. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical It is used as a trumpet, as a part of their religious practices, blowing on it during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing.

In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. Dhruva, ध्रुव in Hindu Mythology, was an ardent young devotee of Vishnu a prince blessed to eternal existence and glory as the Pole Star ( Dhruva Nakshatra The warriors of ancient India would blow conch shells to announce battle, such as is described in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra, in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

The god of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific

Buddhist tradition

Buddhism has also incorporated the conch shell into its symbolism. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices See: Buddhist symbolism. Buddhist symbolism appeared from around the 3rd century BCE and started with aniconic symbolism avoiding direct representations of the Buddha

Literature

William Golding's Lord of the Flies features frequent references to "the Conch". Sir William Gerald Golding ( 19 September, 1911 – 19 June, 1993) was a British novelist poet and Nobel Prize for Literature Lord of the Flies is an allegorical Novel by Nobel Prize -winning author William Golding. In the book the conch is used as a trumpet to call everyone together and held by whoever is speaking at meetings, symbolically representing democracy and order. When a boulder released by Roger, Jack's lieutenant, smashes the conch, it is a sign that civilized order has collapsed and Jack's domination has begun.

The famous Old English riddle Ic wæs be Sonde describes a conch: "I was by sound, near seawall, at ocean-stream; I dwelt alone in my first resting place. A riddle is a Statement or Question having a double or veiled meaning put forth as a Puzzle to be solved . . . Little did I know that I, ere or since, ever should speak mouthless over mead-benches. "

Media

References

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