A conch (rhymes with “honk”) is a large sea snail with a beautiful spiral shell, or the shell itself. The conch lives in warm ocean waters, especially around the Caribbean and Florida.

People have treasured conch shells for thousands of years. The thick, smooth shells often have a pink or peach-colored interior that gleams like polished stone. If you hold a large conch shell up to your ear, you'll hear a whooshing sound that resembles ocean waves, though you're actually hearing ambient sounds around you echoing and being amplified by the shell's spiral shape.

Throughout history, people have used conch shells as trumpets by cutting off the pointed tip and blowing through the opening. Island communities used conch shell horns to send signals across distances, and some still use them in ceremonies today.

In Lord of the Flies, the boys use a conch shell as a symbol of order and democracy: whoever holds the conch has the right to speak at their meetings. The conch represents their attempt to maintain civilization and fairness on the island.

The meat inside the shell is edible and popular in Caribbean cooking, often appearing in fritters or salads. Some conch species are now protected because they were overharvested.