Sunrise Tellin
Tellina radiata
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A glossy white bivalve streaked with pink and yellow rays like a sunrise over the Gulf.
- Typical size
- 2–4 in
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon; a complete pair is rare
- Collecting
- Usually legal to collect
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Empty shells are fine to keep. Live shelling is banned in Lee County and most state parks — if both valves are shut and heavy, put it back.
How to tell it apart
- Long, flattened oval valves
- Polished, almost porcelain surface
- Pink to yellow rays radiating from the beak
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.
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Commonly confused with
Candystick TellinScissula similis
Candystick tellin is small with fine oblique lines; sunrise tellin is larger and glossy with broad pink rays.
More shells in the field guide
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