Much like the knobbed whelk, the lightning whelk has knobs on the sides of the shell whorls.  However, the whelk opens on the opposite side.  My family unscientifically thinks that lightning whelks are found about 1% as frequently as knobbed whelks.

 

left-handed whelk, busycon sinistris
the knobbed whelk is on the right, and the lightning whelk is on the left.

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