Alphabet Cone
Conus spurius
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A heavy cone shell patterned with broken orange-brown marks that look like letters.
- Typical size
- 2 to 3 inches
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon but findable
- Collecting
- Usually legal to collect
- Handling
- Handle with care
Empty shells are fine to collect.
Do not pick up a live cone snail.
How to tell it apart
- Cone shape with a flat, stepped top
- Orange to brown blotches in rough spiral rows
- Smooth, glossy surface
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for shells. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Anclote Key Preserve State Park · Tarpon Springs
- Bean Point · Anna Maria
- Beer Can Island (Greer Island) · Longboat Key
- Boca Grande Public Beach · Boca Grande
- Bowman's Beach · Sanibel
- Captiva Beach · Captiva
- Cayo Costa State Park · Cayo Costa
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park · Naples
- Don Pedro Island State Park · Cape Haze
- Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park · St. George Island
- Gasparilla Island State Park · Boca Grande
- Gulfside City Park (Algiers Beach) · Sanibel
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
Browsing beaches and the full field guide is free. A free account logs unlimited finds and gives you three photo identifications a day.
Commonly confused with
Lettered OliveAmericoliva sayana
Cones have a flat stepped top and a wide shoulder. Olives are narrow cylinders with a very short spire and a high gloss.
More shells in the field guide
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