CONCH SHELL

Although there are a number of species, the most well-known is undoubtedly the Strombus gigas or queen conch (pronounced "konk.") It's commonly recognized by the trademark large, spiral-shaped shell, which is typically either pale pink or orange in the interior. Inside a living conch shell is a mollusk, or soft-bodied sea snail. Conchs get around by using a foot or horn to drag themselves along the seafloor.

The entire animal is extremely valuable. "The top of the shell is often cut off and used as a horn for signaling," emails Martha Davis, director of Community Conch, a nonprofit conservation organization working to preserve conch in the Bahamas. "Conch are prized not only for their shell but also for their meat. For centuries they have been used as a subsistence food throughout the Caribbean."