![]() ![]() The scientific name of the lettered olive is Oliva sayana, and they live in flat sandy areas close to shore. ![]() Other species of olives live all around the world. In 1984, South Carolina made the lettered olive it’s official state shell. and on the west coast of Florida, but they are most common in the southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. The lettered olive can be found all over the east coast of the U.S. These loops are a great clue that live lettered olives are around. While it was moving around, it was also leaving behind swirly marks in the sand, like someone had dragged their finger in loop-de-loops. The shape of its shell was helpful for tunneling, because it was very streamlined and the pointed back end protected it from predators that might come from behind. It was such a cool experience to see it use its muscular foot, a part of its body, to pull the rest of its shell under, centimeter by centimeter. When I turned back, it was already in the process of wedging itself under the sand to hide. So, I quickly placed it on some wet sand for a moment and dug out my camera. Once a lettered olive mollusk dies, the shine will slowly be worn away by sand and time until it becomes dull.īefore I returned it to the water, I wanted to snap a picture with my camera which was in my bag. When the mollusk is moving around on shore, it expands its body and produces mucus to coat the outside of its shell. That slimly mucus coating is what gives olive shells their beautiful glossy shine. While I was watching it scoot around in my palm, I could feel it coating my hand in a thick layer of slime. I was happy with the find, but when I realized it was alive, I was thrilled! It was amazing to see the creature that lives in these beautiful shells. One time, while I was hunting for shells in waist deep water, I brought up a handful of shells and sand with a huge olive on top. Instead, their tight spiral along the side of their shell provides all the protection they need. ![]() Unlike other gastropod mollusks, olive shells do not have an operculum to protect their exposed body. These burrito-shaped shells have a distinctive pointed top, and can grow to be anywhere from one to five inches long. My family must have been hungry because we all agreed that it looked like a burrito, and we have been using that name ever since. The first time I found an olive shell, I didn’t know what it was called. They can range in color from a pale tan to a deep chocolate brown, with dark purple, yellow, navy, and light lavender marbled in. Lettered olives get their name from the intricate hieroglyphic-shaped markings on their outer shells. ![]()
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