Creature Feature – Abalone
As we head into 2024 we will be featuring a new alphabetical order to our weekly creature features. Today is the letter A, and the turn of the Abalone. Abalone is the common name marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae
Taxonomy
Phylum: Mollusca
Order: Lepetellida
Family: Haliotidae
Genus: Haliotis
© Brent Durand / Getty Images
Abalone Fact File
Size: Size varies depending on the species, however, a rough range is from 0.8 in to 12in. Individuals may weigh up to (and in rare cases, over) 350g
Distribution: Abalones can be found along the coastal waters of every continent, except the Pacific coast of South America, the Atlantic coast of North America, the Arctic, and Antarctica
Diet: Adults eat different types of algae and they can catch kelp drifting along the seabed or eat kelp still attached to rock
Behaviour: Abalones live a sedentary lifestyle, remaining in the same general area all its life. This species uses its foot to move across surfaces.
IUCN Status: The majority of abalone have not been rated for conservation status however several species, e.g., the white abalone have been designated endangered species status. Despite a lack of classification, scientists currently fear than many abalone species face an imminent danger of extinction due to several factors such as acidification of the oceans, overfishing, and disease
