Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

By Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Maybe collecting shells is a favorite pastime of yours, but you don't know which is a moon snail and which is a mud snail. Or, you're walking along the beach, and something shiny catches your eye, but what is it?

Well, look no further: Here's a guide to some of the most common shells found on New Jersey beaches.

Six-year-old Luke Callihan, of Pennington, collects shells on the beach in Brigantine, Sunday, July 2, 2017.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Knobbed whelk

The knobbed whelk is the official state shell of New Jersey.

Knobs -- some more pronounced than others -- form around the spire, giving it its name.

Size: 100-240 mm; common, although uncommon to find whole, unbroken shells.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Channeled whelk

The channeled whelk has a pear-shaped shell with raised spires. Less damaged shells show "beads" lining the spires.

Size: 100-215 mm; common, although uncommon to find whole, unbroken shells.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Common slipper shell or oyster-pest

The common slipper shell gets its name from its appearance: it looks like a slipper.

These animals are often found in chains of up to 12, attached to mussels or oysters. They start out as males and turn into females as they grow larger.

Size: 20-50 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Eastern white slippersnail

The eastern white slippersnail has a convex, or sometimes flat, shell due to where the animal lives: inside the shells of snails and slugs, feeding off the waste from the hermit crabs often living inside the shell as well.

Size: 12-30 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Blood ark

The blood ark has a somewhat circular shell with visible ribs (those lines extending from the top to bottom).

It gets its name from having red blood, noting the presence of hemoglobin, which makes it unlike most mollusks.

Size: 25-75 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Transverse ark

The transverse ark has a white shell (it may be stained a darker color) with ribs radiating from the top.

Size: 13-38 mm; common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Ponderous ark

The ponderous ark has a shell with a high arch and squared-off, trapezoid-like shape. From the side, it almost looks like a wave crashing along the shoreline. It's heavy for its size.

The photo in the upper right shows its teeth.

Size: up to 60 mm; common, but usually as a fossil in New Jersey.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Blue mussel

The outside of the blue mussel shell is dark blue or black in color; the inside is often a shimmery white with dark purple borders.

Both halves of this bivalve are often found intact on beaches near inlets.

Size: 40-105 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Ribbed mussel

The ribbed mussel has a somewhat thin, but strong, fan-shaped shell with noticeable ribs.

The inside of the shell is pearly gray.

Size: 60-100 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Cayenne keyhole limpet

The Cayenne keyhole limpet is shaped like a cone, with a small hole at the top, called the keyhole.

This limpet lives in inlets and offshore waters and is occasionally found washed up on ocean beaches.

Size: 15-50 mm; common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Atlantic surf-clam

One of the most commonly found shells on New Jersey beaches, and easily recognizable by its large size and oval to triangular shape.

Canned clams typically contain the meat from this mollusk.

Size: up to 225 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Northern quahog

The northern quahog has a thick, heavy shell, with highly visible ridges.

You'll find these in your local fish market, labeled as littlenecks, topnecks and cherrystones, depending on their size.

Size: up to 150 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Stout tagelus

The shell of the stout tagelus is rectangular or oval in shape, usually off-white in color.

Size: up to 118 mm; common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Variable coquina

These are the little clams you often see burrowing back into the sand in large groups after a wave crashes ashore.

Coquinas come in various colors, from almost white, yellow, pink, orange, red, purple, to brownish and blueish, and some have darker "rays" on the inside of the shell.

Size: 13-20 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

False angelwing or American piddock

The false angelwing gets its name from its appearance: when both shells of this bivalve are intact, the pattern of ridges and ribs make them look like angel wings.

Size: 25-70 mm; common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

American mud snail or mud dog whelk

The American mud snail has a small, chalky white shell that is often discolored to a dark brown color due to its habitat, in muddy, intertidal areas and inlets.

Size: 18-25 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Threeline mudsnail

The shell of the threeline mudsnail has a spindle shape, as well as distinct lines and ribs that give a bead-like texture.

Size: up to 20 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Bruised nassa

The bruised nassa is a small shell shaped like a cone, with six or seven whorls.

Size: 10-20 mm.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Eastern auger

The eastern auger is shaped like a unicorn horn, and is often pale gray or tan in color.

It only appears on the shores of New Jersey as a fossil, but commonly found from Maryland to Brazil.

Size: up to 57 mm; uncommon in New Jersey

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Bay scallop

The bay scallop has a fan-shaped shell with approximately 20 ribs, its natural color being more of a dark red.

Why is a bay scallop shell found on oceanside beaches? Dredging and beach replenishment are among the most common reasons.

Size: up to 95 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Sea scallop

The sea scallop has a large, flat, fan-shaped shell.

The inside of the shell is glossy white with a muscular scar where the scallop was attached.

Size: 70-230 mm; typically found on New Jersey beaches after deep sea fisheries "drop" sea scallops close to shore.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Common jingle shell

The common jingle shell gets its name from the sound it makes: just pick up a few and shake them in your hand to hear them jingle!

This shell is very thin and brittle; the shiny shell often has a hole in the middle once its washed up onshore.

Size: 25-50 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Atlantic razor clam or Atlantic jackknife

This clam is long and narrow with squared-off ends and has a slight curve in its shape.

Size: 100-200 mm; common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Atlantic razor

The shell of the Atlantic razor is smooth, oblong and rounded at the ends. The shell is thin and fragile, with three light-colored "rays."

Size: 35-65 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Shark eye

The shark eye is a type of moon snail, and has a dark "eye" at the tip of the spire.

The shark eye is commonly confused with the northern moonsnail: the shark eye has a patch of shell on the bottom which covers the hole in the center of the shell; the northern moonsnail's hole is not covered.

Size: 25-98 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Northern moonsnail

The northern moonsnail can easily be differentiated from the similar shark eye by the uncovered hole at the center of the shell; the shark eye has a patch of shell covering the hole.

Size: 50-120 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Eastern oyster

The upper shell of the eastern oyster is thick and highly arched, and the lower shell is smoother and flat.

This mollusk is highly important to the environment: just one oyster can filter more than 50 gallons of water in 24 hours.

Size: 50-200 mm; very common.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

Cross-hatched lucine

The cross-hatched lucine has a circular-shaped shell and a distinct chevron-like pattern in its grooves.

Size: up to 25 mm.

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Lori M. Nichols | For NJ.com

More fun on the beach

How to build a sandcastle like a boss: 9 tips from a pro

Why must we wear a badge to go to the beach? Blame this N.J. town

9 surprising facts you may not have known about N.J. beach tags

Which N.J. beaches are free to visit? Your guide to the Jersey Shore

Shells found along the Jersey Shore.

The shells in this article were found on various beaches in New Jersey by the author. The identifications were made by the author using several publications, both in print and online, and were then verified by Paul Callomon, collection manager, Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General Invertebrates, at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Lori M. Nichols may be reached at lnichols@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @photoglori. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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