Turkey Wings are on the menu today!  These particular turkey wings are awesome good because they are eye-catching treats from the seashore.  We collected our main course on the beaches of Sanibel Island, Florida.

Turkey wings are members of the Ark Shell Family, a family of over 140 species of bivalved mollusks found in temperate and tropical seas. “Bivalves (Bivalvia) form the second largest class of mollusks and include clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, and shipworms. All bivalves have a shell made up of two valves. A flexible tissue connects the valves, and toothlike hinges keep them aligned. When the animals are feeding or breathing, the valves separate slightly.” (World Book Online.com*)

Blue Plate Special! Turkey Wings (©Jody Diehl)

These turkey wings won’t be coming over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house, though! In North America, they can be found in the ocean waters from North Carolina to Bermuda.  They live on coral rocks and  in crevices from the low-tide line to depths of 20 feet and can range from 1 ¾  to 3 ½ inches in length.

The turkey wing seashell is great fun to find and rather easy to identify. This brown and white seashell resembles the wing of a wild turkey!

Benjamin Franklin thought the North American Wild Turkey should be our national bird. Can you imagine plating the national bird?  Please pass the Tofurkey!

~Happy Thanksgiving from the treasure hunters at Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches!~

(*Prezant, Robert S. “Mollusk.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web.  24 Nov. 2011.)

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