Common Slipper Shell
Crepidula fornicata
Summary 5
The common slipper shell, Crepidula fornicata, has many other common names including common Atlantic slippersnail, boat shell, quarterdeck shell, fornicating slipper snail, and it is known in Britain as the "common slipper limpet". This is a species of medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Calyptraeidae, the slipper snails and cup and saucer snails.
Taxon biology 6
American slipper limpets look like slippers, therefore their name. They live off of plankton which they filter out of the seawater. They are often found piled one on top of another (up to twelve specimen), a real slipper limpet skyscraper. The snails at the top of the tower are always younger and male, the middle ones are in the process of changing sex and the lowest ones are older and female. American slipper limpets were imported during the previous century from North America, along with a load of oysters.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Chris Moody, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/11266603@N04/5809178986
- (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/JCS%20Crepidula%20fornicata%2015139.jpg
- (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/JCS%20Crepidula%20fornicata%2015138.jpg
- (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/PhotosMedium/JCS%20Crepidula%20fornicata%2014830.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepidula_fornicata
- (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758866
