A conch shell

A Conch is a sea creature, a mollusk, and more specifically, a marine gastropod. True conches belong to the genus Strombus , under the Family Strombidae, but many other Gastropods have common names using conch. While most Strombid species are extinct, at least 65 species are living. Of these, most are in the Indo-Pacific Oceans while 6 are in the greater Carribean region.

Living true conch species include Strombus gigas (the Queen Conch) and the West Indian Fighting Conch ([[Strombus pugilis]]). Living non-true conch animals bearing the name conch include the Horse Conch (Pleuroploca gigantea).

Anatomy

Conches have have spirally constructed shells. Depending on species (or aberrant growth patterns), shell growth can be sinistral (left-handed) or dextral (right-handed).

Conches have long eye stalks, a long and narrow aperture, and a siphonal canal with an indentation near the anterior end called a stromboid notch, and a foot ending in a pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum. They grow a flared lip on their shells upon reaching sexual maturity.

Conches have a characteristic leaping motion, using their pointed, sickle-shaped, horny operculum to propel themselves forward. They lay eggs in long, gelatinous strands.

Human Use

The animal inside the shell is eaten, either raw, as in salads, or cooked, as in fritters, chowders, gumbos, and burgers.

Conch shells are sometimes used as crude bugles by removal of the small tip of the shell to form a mouthpiece, as decoration, as decorative planters, ground up as an ingredient in porcelain, and in cameo making . In classic Mayan art, conches are shown being utilized in many ways including as paint and ink holders for elite scribes, as bugle or trumpet, and as hand weapons (held by combatants by inserting their hands in the aperature).

The Conch as Religious Symbolism

The Conch in Hindu Tradition

The conch is a major Hindu article of prayer, used as a trumpeting announcement of all sorts. The God of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajaya, that represents life as it has come out of life-giving waters. The warriors of ancient India would blow conchs to announce battle, such as is famously represented in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. The conch shell is a deep part of Hindu symbolic and religious tradition. To this very day, all Hindus use the conch as a part of their religious practices, blowing it during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells.

See also: Krishna

The Conch in Buddist Tradition

Buddhism also has incorporated the conch into its symbolism. See: Buddhist symbolism.

Conch people

A "Conch" is also slang for a resident of Key West, Florida. See: Conch Republic.

The term "Conch" is also sometimes used to refer to Bahamas natives of European decent.