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Lettered Olive
Oliva sayana
The lettered olive is one of the most unique shells found on Lee County Beaches. Its cylinder-like shape, with a small pointed spire, makes it extremely easy to identify. The olive is also unique because of the glossy appearance of its shell. The live animal usually covers the shell with its body, and this causes the glossy finish. The olive spends most of its life buried in the sand, with only its siphon being exposed. Live specimens can be found by tracking them at low tide.
Figure 1
The lettered olive gets its name from the dark tent-like markings on the shell. The dark shell shown in Fig. 3 and the gray shell pictured in Fig. 1 exhibit these mark?ings most clearly. Most well-marked shells will display the "lettering" in two broad bands, leaving a pale, almost unmarked band between them, This characteristic is featured in both the black-marked shell shown in Fig. 3, and the brown-marked shell in Fig. 2.
Figure 2
Many collectors dream about finding a "golden olive." The background color of the golden olive ranges from white to cream and tan, while the color of other lettered olives is gray with tinges of yellow or gold. The most important characteristic in distinguishing the golden olive is the gold color of its tent markings. The top shell in Fig. 3 is a golden olive, while the gold colored shell in Fig. 1 is not a golden olive.
Figure 3
Some olives exhibit a long "shadow" running the entire length of the shells back. This characteristic is exhibited by the smallest shell in Fig. 2, and the gold shell in Fig. 1.
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Seashells
