Photograph shared on social media shows a “giant horse conch” discovered in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The photograph is authentic and features Triplofusus giganteus, a species from the Fasciolariidae family. Although commonly referred to as the “Florida horse conch,” it is not a “true conch” by scientific definition, as true conchs belong to the family Strombidae.
For years, a photograph allegedly showing a “giant gorse conch” spread on social media. In mid-October 2024, a Facebook user claimed in a post that its shell “can grow up to 2 feet long.”
(Facebook user Earth Glorious)
The image has circulated across various platforms, including Reddit, Pinterest, 9GAG, Tumblr, and Imgur, dating back to at least since 2013. In December of that year, one Facebook post with the photo stated, “It’s the largest species of gastropod in American waters.”
In summary, the viral photograph is authentic and depicts Triplofusus giganteus, a member of the Fasciolariidae family, commonly known as the “Florida horse conch.”
Origins of the Photo
The photograph in question was taken by conchologist and photographer Amy Tripp on Dec. 12, 2011, at Kice Island, Florida. It was originally published on the Jacksonville Shell Club’s website, “formed in 1959 by local shell enthusiasts and incorporated as a non-profit educational organization five years later,” associated with the Conchologists of America (COA).
(www.jaxshells.org)
The photograph’s caption read:
On mud flat, Kice Island, just south of Marco Island, Collier County, Florida 12/12/2011 | Digital image by Amy Tripp
This image was featured on The Weather Channel on 12/17/2013 in their video “YIKES! Earth’s Ugliest Canibal.”
Wayback Machine, an internet archive, indicated the photograph has been available on the website at least since July 2012. Similar images of Triplofusus giganteus were also shared in 2012 and 2013.
Karlynn Morgan, President of COA, confirmed via email the photograph is authentic. Tripp, the photographer, said the horse conch appears giant due to the camera angle, and the whelk, its intended meal, was approximately 8 inches long.
Conch or Not?
The horse conch has been Florida’s official state shell since 1969. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, “the predatory Horse Conch can grow to 24 inches long,” making it the largest gastropod in American waters.
However, while the shell in question is commonly known and referred to as the “Florida horse conch,” it is not a “true conch” by definition, as those are of the family Strombidae, while the horse conch is a member of the Fasciolariidae family.
Merriam-Webster defines a conch as “any of various large spiral-shelled marine gastropod mollusks (as of the genus Strombus),” mentioning a genus belonging to the family Strombidae. Meanwhile, the Cambridge English Dictionary provides a broader definition: “a tropical snail-like sea creature, sometimes eaten as food, that lives in a large, spiral shell.”