Kim Pence, age 11, of Tulsa, Okla., for her question:

WHAT EXACTLY ARE WHELKS?

Vast numbers of whelks of various sizes and colors populate the oceans. Actually they are seagoing snails, with gills for extracting oxygen from the water. Their coiled shells resemble snail shells, though usually they are larger and much thicker. Sometimes a six inch whelk shell washes up on the beach. Usually he is a small fellow, for his larger kinfolk prefer to stay out in the deep ocean

Whelks feed on dead or dying fish, crustaceans and other sea dwellers. Nevertheless, many people regard whelk meat as a delicacy. Since Roman days, they have set out traps to catch them. If the traps are baited with a fish or lobster, several whelks come along to feast  and end up in somebody's cooking pot.