A whelk is a kind of sea-snail. It eats clams, worms, barnacles and smaller snails. The female lays her eggs in hard capsules. These are arranged in clusters of string and attached to rock, wood, and shells.
Fishermen use whelks as bait. They catch the whelks by setting traps and baiting them with crabs.
Whelks are eaten by cod and starfish, the kind of fish that find their food at or near the bottom of the sea bed.