Scientific name:

Patella vulgata

About:

Like other limpets, lives attached to stones or rocks around the lower and midshore. A greyish, conical shell, up to 7cm long. Feed on algae and seaweed that grows on the rocks, using their rasping tongue to graze.

How to identify:

<p>There are three very similar species of limpet: the inside of the shell of Patella depressa has dark and pale radiating stripes and it is mainly found around the south of the country, while <em>Patella ulssiponensis</em> has an orange patch on the inside of its shell. Both these species are slightly smaller.</p>

Where:

Found on rocky shores right around our coasts.

Fantastic facts:

Limpets move around over the rocks when the tide is in, but always return to their own favourite spot when the tide goes out.