Stats

Lifespan: 5-10 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Solitary
Biome: Rocky intertidal shore
Range: Northeast Atlantic
Movement: Slithering
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Armor
Status: Uncommon

About

The common periwinkle is a small marine snail native to European Atlantic coasts that was introduced to North America in the 1800s and has since reshaped intertidal ecosystems by grazing on algae. It can survive up to four weeks out of water by sealing its shell with a mucus plug — one of the most desiccation-tolerant intertidal snails in the world.

Life cycle

1.
juvenile
A juvenile mollusk takes adult form after its larval phase and begins building or growing its shell.
2.
adult
Fully grown at adult shell size or body length.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Littorinimorpha
Family: Littorinidae
Genus: Littorina
Species: Littorina littorea