List of U.S. state shells

This is a list of official state shells for those states of the United States that have chosen to select one as part of their state insignia.¹ In 1965, North Carolina was the first state to designate an official state shell, the Scotch bonnet. Since then, 14 other states have designated an official state shell.

These are seashells, the shells of various marine mollusks including both gastropod and bivalves. Each one was chosen to represent a maritime state, based on the fact that the species occurs in that state and was considered suitable to represent the state, either because of the species' commercial importance as a local seafood item, or because of its beauty, rarity, exceptional size, or other features.

State	Shell	Image	Year designated
Alabama	Johnstone's junonia Scaphella junonia ssp. johnstoneae		19902
Connecticut	Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica		1989
Delaware	Channeled whelk Busycotypus canaliculatus		20143
Florida	Horse conch Triplofusus papillosus		19694
Georgia	Knobbed whelk Busycon carica		19875
Massachusetts	New England Neptune Neptunea lyrata ssp. decemcostata		19876
Mississippi	Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica		19747
New Jersey	Knobbed whelk Busycon carica ssp. gmelin		19958
New York	Bay scallop Argopecten irradians		19889
North Carolina	Scotch bonnet Semicassis granulata		196510
Oregon	Oregon hairy triton Fusitriton oregonensis		198911
Rhode Island	Quahaug Mercenaria mercenaria		198712
South Carolina	Lettered olive Oliva sayana		198413
Texas	Lightning whelk Sinistrofulgur perversum ssp. pulleyi		198714
Virginia	Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica		197415