Whelk is a term for any of dozens of species of sea snail. Whelks include some of the world’s largest snails. They grow from 4 to 10 inches (10 to 25 centimeters) in length. Whelks live in coastal waters throughout much of the world.
Like most snails, whelks have a soft body inside a protective spiral shell. The shell has an opening called an aperture on one side. Most whelk shells have the aperture on the right side, but some have the opening on the left. A whelk defends itself against enemies by retracting into its shell and closing the aperture with a hard, lidlike plate called the operculum. The operculum is attached to a large, muscular organ known as the foot, which the whelk uses to crawl about. Some people consider the foot of certain whelk species a delicacy.
Whelks feed on worms, clams, or dead fish. They eat with a tonguelike mouth part called the radula, which has several long rows of teeth. Female whelks package their fertilized eggs into capsules that protect the developing snails until they hatch.
See also Snail.
