01-16-2007, 06:01 AM
Carey,
Nope, not that chiton. The critter I saw was round, not oblong, when viewed from above. And the skirt did appear to be composed of separate elongated plates. It wouldn't surprise me if these plates could be individually articulated.
I've been searching the web for images with little success. I think it's a mollusk and looks like a gastropod (stomach foot). It clings to the outer edge of the rock shelf exposed at low tide. As far as I could tell, it was a gastropod, hanging out where you'd expect to find opihi. I suspect that it might not be a native species and may be affecting the coastal habitat by denuding the rocks of vegetation. I don't know if the vegetation on these rocks are native. Some of it appears to be ogo and other edible seaweeds.
Nope, not that chiton. The critter I saw was round, not oblong, when viewed from above. And the skirt did appear to be composed of separate elongated plates. It wouldn't surprise me if these plates could be individually articulated.
I've been searching the web for images with little success. I think it's a mollusk and looks like a gastropod (stomach foot). It clings to the outer edge of the rock shelf exposed at low tide. As far as I could tell, it was a gastropod, hanging out where you'd expect to find opihi. I suspect that it might not be a native species and may be affecting the coastal habitat by denuding the rocks of vegetation. I don't know if the vegetation on these rocks are native. Some of it appears to be ogo and other edible seaweeds.