Buccinidae
The Buccinidae are a very large and diverse taxonomic family of medium to large marine molluscs, often known as whelks. The family includes more than 1500 species and is world-wide in distribution.
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About Buccinidae
Size range of Buccinid shells is 10mm to 260mm. Some of the larger species inhabit deep cold waters in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The smaller species of the tropics are more common intertidally, with only a few deep water representatives.
A number of species in the Buccinidae are naturally sinistral (left handed coiling).
Buccinids are carnivorous, some being predators on other molluscs and some being scavengers. Species in the Genus Colubraria feed on the blood of fish.
Buccinids form an important human food source and some species are fished commercially.