Queen Conch (Aliger gigas)

The queen conch (Aliger gigas) is a large marine gastropod that is known for its pink-lipped shell. You can commonly find them in the seagrass beds and on the sandy sea floor. Keep readying for some fascinating queen conch facts. 

 #1: Queen conchs eyes can move independently! 

Queen conchs have two eyes on long eye stalks and these eyes have the ability to move independently from each other. On these eyestalks and just below the eyes, queen conchs have tentacles that they use to help them taste and feel the water.

 #2: Where can you find the queen conch? 

Queen conchs are found in shallow water throughout the Caribbean Sea, Florida Keys and near Bermuda. They are mostly found in waters less than 100 feet deep, but have been observed occasionally as deep as 500 feet. 

 #3: What does the queen conch eat? 

Queen conchs primarily eat algae and plant matter. They have a snout-like mouth called a proboscis that they use to graze over rocks and seagrass to eat their food. This is typically why we find them grazing in seagrass beds or on sandy bottom.

 #4: Do you know what an queen conch’s operculum is? 

Queen conchs have a hard plate called an operculum on the end of their foot. They use this operculum to move across the sea floor and to seal the opening of their shell when they feel threatened by predators. Queen conchs are slow moving creatures that move by placing their foot and operculum on the ground and “jumping” forward. Studies show that they may travel up to 100 yards in 2 weeks.

 #5: Did you know queen conchs can form pearls? 

About 1 in 10,000 conchs form pink pearls that are extremely rare and valuable. This occurs when a particle of sand or other debris enters the mantle, and is covered by thin layers of calcium carbonate.

 #6: Queen conchs are known as “blue-bloods”. 

Queen conchs are known as “blue-bloods”, literally meaning they have blue colored blood. The blood of conchs is a colorless liquid called hemocyanin, which contains copper. During respiration, this copper interacts with the oxygen to turn the blood blue.

 #7: How old does a queen conch get? 

Queen conchs can grow to be 30 years old, but they reach sexual maturity by the age 4. A conch’s lifespan also depends on where they live. In Bermuda they may live up to 40 years old, but in Florida they only reach an average of 15 years old.

 #8: How does a queen conch reproduce? 

Queen conchs spawn during the warmer months of the year, typically between May and September. They lay eggs in what is called an egg mass. Each individual egg mass can have around 750,000 embryos, and very few of these will survive.

 #9: Predators of the queen conch. 

Queen conchs have many natural predators such as sea turtles, nurse sharks, or octopuses. However, they are also harvested by humans for their meat and charismatic shells, and thus are at risk of overfishing.

Historically, queen conchs have been hunted for their tender meat and charismatic pink shells. Until 1978, hundreds of thousands of queen conchs were being harvested in Florida. In 1985, a complete ban on harvesting queen conch in Florida was put in place, and soon after it was listed as a protected species in Florida. However, there are many places outside of the United States that do not have regulations in place and continue to harvest these marine gastropods for their meat and shells. While queen conch populations in Florida are believed to have finally recovered, the populations in these areas still suffer from overfishing.

Additional Queen Conch Resources:
1. Queen Conch – NOAA Fisheries
2. Queen Conch – Oceana
3. Ocean Expert Exchange with Dr. Krista Sherman and the Perry Institute for Marine Science