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Queen Conch I sketched this beautiful marine shell in pastel pencil on sand-colored textured paper for my mother, Mary Demoranville. The particular specimen came from my personal collection. The Queen Conch, Strombus gigas, is a large marine mollusk found throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico as far north as Bermuda and as far south as Brazil. They have an external, spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink or orange interior and achieve full size at about 3-5 years of age, growing to a maximum of about 12 inches long and weighing about 5 pounds. These beautiful single shelled animals (gastropods) live in sand, seagrass beds, and coral reef habitats in warm, shallow water, generally not deeper than 70 feet. They are long-lived, generally reaching 20-30 years old. These animals are prized for both their edible meat and attractive shells. As a result of over fishing and poaching, however, species abundance is declining throughout its range. Populations of the species in Honduras, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, in particular, are currently being exploited at rates that may be unsustainable. Queen conch is managed under national regulation. In the United States, all takes of queen conch are prohibited in Florida and adjacent Federal waters. The original pastel is in our family collection but limited edition prints and note cards are available. Click here for availability and price.