Conch

Conch (/ˈkɒntʃ/ or sometimes /ˈkɒŋk/) is a common name that is applied to a number of different medium to large-sized sea snails.or their shells. The term generally applies to large snails whose shell has a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).

Contents

• Conch shell releasing the meat
• How to blow a conch shell
• Etymology
• Food
• Musical instruments
• Pearls
• Other uses
• Ancient Peru
• Aztec
• Buddhism
• Hinduism
• Literature and the oral tradition
• References

In North America, a conch is often identified as a queen conch, found off the coast of Florida. Queen conches are valued for fish bait, and are also known as seafood.

The group of conchs that are sometimes referred to as "true conchs" are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Strombidae, specifically in the genus Strombus and other closely related genera. For example, see Lobatus gigas, the queen conch, and Laevistrombus canarium, the dog conch.