Limpets
Limpet is a common name used for many kinds of saltwater or freshwater snails, specifically those that have a simple shell which is more or less broadly conical in shape, and which is either not coiled, or appears not to be coiled, in the adult snail.
The word "limpet" is a very inexact name which is fairly frequently encountered as part of the common name of a wide variety of different marine and freshwater gastropod species, some of which have gills and some of which have a lung. The name is given on the basis of a limpet-like or "patelliform" shell, but the several groups of snails which have such a shell are not at all closely related to one another.
Limpets have flattened, cone-shaped shells, and the majority of species are commonly found adhering strongly to rocks or other hard substrates, looking like little bumps on the surface. In life, many limpet shells are often covered in microscopic growths of green marine algae, which can make them even harder to see, as they can closely resemble the rock surface itself.
The majority of limpet species have shells that are less than 3 in (8 cm) in maximum length and many are much smaller than that.
Until quite recently a west Mexican limpet species, the giant limpet, Patella (Ancistromesus) mexicana, was known to grow as large as 8 in (20 cm). This species is now in serious danger of extinction, as it is slow to reach maturity, and has suffered from overcollecting, both as a food item, and by shell collectors and dealers.
Various different species live throughout the intertidal zone, from the high zone (upper littoral zone) to the shallow subtidal.
They attach themselves to the substrate using pedal mucus and a muscular "foot". They locomote using wave-like muscular contractions of the foot when conditions are suitable for them to graze. They can also "clamp down" against the rock surface with very considerable force when necessary, and this ability enables them to remain safely attached, despite the dangerous wave action on exposed rocky shores. The ability to clamp down also seals the shell edge against the rock surface, protecting them from desiccation during low tide, despite their being in full sunlight.
When true limpets are fully clamped down, it is impossible to remove them from the rock using brute force alone, and the limpet will allow itself to be destroyed rather than stop clinging to its rock. This survival strategy has led to the limpet being used as a metaphor for obstinacy or stubbornness.
Limpets are preyed upon by a variety of organisms including starfish, shore-birds, fish, seals, and humans. Limpets exhibit a variety of defenses, such as fleeing or clamping their shells against the substratum. The defense response can be determined by the type of predator, which can often be detected chemically by the limpet.
Limpets can be long lived, with tagged specimens surviving for more than 10 years. If the limpet lives on bare rock, it grows at a slower rate but can live for up to 20 years.
Limpets found on exposed shores, which have fewer rock pools than sheltered shores and are thus in less frequent contact with water, have a greater risk of desiccation due to the effects of increased sunlight, water evaporation and the increased wind speed. To avoid drying out they will clamp to the rock they inhabit, minimizing water-loss from the rim around their base. As this occurs chemicals are released that promote the vertical growth of the limpet's shell.
Limpet
Limpet news!
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- Limpetmay still cling onin Strait
- Efforts have been made to rid the Strait of the slipper limpets, which resemble sea snails, but there have been no further sightings of live animals. ...
- In an Azores State of Mind
- The city is a good starting point, offering plenty of opportunities to chat up locals and taste specialties like grilled limpets or stewed octopus. ...
- A president and gentleman
- Most of them cling on to power like limpets until they are booted out. When the time came for President DB to leave, he already had one foot out of the ...
- UK. University of Plymouth researches increasingly acid ...
- Another marked effect of the acidified water was something which has been described in laboratory settings ? the hard shells of animals such as limpets ...
Limpet Photos
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Limpet blogs!
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- limpets
- Ray Byrne posted a photo:. limpets. Near to Cullernose Point.
- True Limpets, Patellogastropoda.
- There are numerous limpet taxa in the Paleozoic fossil record, however none possesses unique characteristics that convincingly place these taxa within the order Patellogastropoda. The earliest patellogastropod verified by shell ...
- Limpets, The good, The bad, The ugly
- I have limpets in my tank, Is this good? Is this bad? Will they help clean my tank? Will they hurt my fish? What do I do?
- Keyhole Limpets (Fissurellidae)
- Keyhole Limpets (Fissurellidae) are named for a small hole at the top of their conical shell, which serves for excretion. Several hundred species are vegetarians, living primarily in shallow, warm water. The single eggs are coated in a ...
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The Incredible Mr. Limpet
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Civilization And The Limpet
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Incredible Mr Limpet
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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory/The Incredible Mr. Limpet
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Sally and the Limpet
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Limpet links
- Limpets
- This is the common species of limpet that is found on all rocky shores around the British Isles. It will also be found attached to groynes, ...
- Limpets
- Small photo of a Variegated Limpet Limpets are distinctive animals which are best known for their ability to cling onto rocks. They do not have suction, ...
- Limpets love Laminaria! - samswebsite
- Gill Andrew, a PhD student here at SAMS, has captured rare footage of the feeding behaviour of the common limpet (Patella vulgata) on a shore near Easdale, ...
- Limpet Printout - Enchanted Learning Software
- Limpet Printout. The Limpet is a gastropod, a soft-bodied invertebrate that is protected by a cone-shaped shell.
- Limpets
- Clypdina rugosa - Limpet; (Edgar, 1997). Habitat: Exposed rocky shores; ... ANOTHER common limpet is:. Family Patellidae (True Limpets); Cellana solida ...
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