Thursday 17 November 2005

Common Limpet (Patella vulgata)

OTHER NAMES: Limpet, Common European Limpet
Latin Etymology: Patella ("Shallow Dish") vulgata ("Common")
Four Adult Common Limpet (Patella vulgata) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - August 2019

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: 3cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Common Limpet is one of the most familiar of marine mollusc found around the coast of the UK - a tough conical shell that clings to the surface of rocks during low tide, and goes on grazing algae.  A feature of note are their teeth - they are the hardest known natural material known, comparable to strong commercial carbon fibre - these are used to scrape algae directly from the rock.

Related Species:
Order: N/A
Family: Patellidae
Genus: Patella
SUBSPECIES: ?

 - Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Common resident of rocky coasts
 - Seen at Trevose Head and other coastal sites

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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