Common Seashells of Britain and Ireland WildID guide

From cockles to scallops, from limpets to topshells, the Common Seashells of Britain and Ireland WildID guide is great for exploring beaches and rockpools.

• Identification guide to 40 common seashells found on the seashore
• Covers both seashells on sandy beaches and rocky shores
• Practical for use outdoors: lightweight, rucksack-sized, splash-proof

Shells are one of the great treasures of the seaside, and our handy seashell guide is the perfect companion for your next beach walk. Whether you are exploring the strandline, searching rocky shores, or combing the lower beach at low tide, it helps you spot and identify what you find. Or, if you simply want to learn more about seashells from home, this guide is a great place to begin!

All the seashells featured come from molluscs. These are a fascinating group of animals that includes snails, slugs, mussels, octopus and squid. Because molluscs have no skeleton, many protect themselves by growing a hard external shell. These shell-bearing molluscs fall into two main groups: gastropods and molluscs.

The seashells guide features many common bivalves, including mussels, cockles, scallops, razor shells, oysters and venus shells. Bivalves have two shell halves, called valves, joined by a flexible ligament that acts like a hinge. After the animal dies, this ligament breaks down, and the two halves often separate, so you will often find just a single valve washed up on the beach. To identify bivalves, look at the shape and colour of the shell.

Gastropods shown in the guide include topshells, periwinkles, limpets, cowries and whelks. Unlike bivalves, gastropods have a single, undivided shell, often coiled in a spiral. They mostly live on rocky shores and in rock pools, so empty shells often gather in gullies. To identify them, check the shape of the shell’s mouth, the number of spiral coils and the shape of the spire.