Wentletraps 



With more than 1 ,000 species of 

 mollusks, North Carolina probably has 

 more shells to find than any other 

 Atlantic state, says Hugh Porter, the 

 state's resident "Mr. Seashell" and the 

 curator of the shell collection at the 

 University of North Carolina at Chapel 

 Hill Institute for Marine Science (IMS). 



In 1955, Porter was hired to study 

 the ecology of oysters at IMS, then 

 called the Institute of Fisheries Re- 

 search. He became curious about the 

 types of shells that could be found in 

 our state's waters. "I saw specimens ... 

 being thrown away," says Porter, "and 

 that sort of teed me off." 



Porter started keeping track of the 

 shells he collected, and the IMS shell 

 collection was born. "Now (my 

 collection is) starting to pay off," he 

 says. "People are starting to get 

 interested in what we have in our 

 waters and are coming to me to see 

 what has been found." 



Although Porter has retired, he still 

 has a part-time position at IMS keeping 

 track of the myriad shells that people 

 bring to the institute. 



North Carolina's coastal geogra- 

 phy and currents are responsible for 

 much of the state's shell diversity, says 

 Porter. The cool Labrador current flows 

 down from the north and heads seaward 

 at Cape Hatteras, making the cape the 

 southernmost point to find cool-water 

 mollusks such as the common blue 

 mussel and the Atlantic surf clam. 

 Along the southern portion of our 

 coast, the Gulf Stream brings creatures 

 from warm, Caribbean waters. The 

 current turns toward Europe when it 

 reaches Cape Hatteras, forming the 

 northern limit for many tropical 

 mollusks such as the Scotch bonnet and 

 calico scallop. 



Many Caribbean species require 

 hardbottom habitats instead of the 

 sandy bottoms found in the state's 

 sounds and nearshore waters. Natural 

 ledges and World War II shipwrecks 

 provide this habitat with hideaways for 

 breeding and shelter from predators. 

 They are prime places for Anne 

 Buddenhagen's underwater forays in 

 search of exotic shells. 



MARCH/APRIL J 996 



