Common Limpet

The common limpet is a conical mollusc found clamped to rock surfaces in shallow coastal waters, typically in the intertidal zone and down to around 10 metres. Its hard, ridged shell is greyish or brown and rarely exceeds 6 cm across. These herbivorous grazers are surprisingly mobile at night, leaving their rocky anchorages to feed on algae before returning to the same spot by dawn—a behaviour that leaves visible feeding trails on the rock face.