What is a limpet?

Answer 1

Limpet is a marine gastropod mollusk with a simple, flattened, conical shell, found in cooler waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Certain species creep over rocks, feeding on algae during high tides, but when the tide recedes they return instinctively to the same spot occupied previously, to await the return of high water. The muscular foot clings so powerfully that limpets are found in wave-swept areas where few other forms of life can survive. The keyhole limpet is named for its central opening, through which respiratory currents pass. Limpets range up to 4 in. (10 cm) in length, but most are smaller; there are several freshwater species. Limpets are classified in the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, order Archeogastropoda.

Answer 2

A man and fish. Mr. Limpet was Don Knotts

Answer 3

Limpets are marine mollusks in the family Acmaeidae with flattened, cone-shaped shells. They live throughout the intertidal zone, from the high zone (upper littoral) to the shallow subtidal on the rocky coasts of most oceans. Limpets can be commonly found attached to rocks, looking like little disks or bumps on the rock surface. They attach themselves to the substratum using pedal mucus and a muscular "foot", which enables them to remain attached through dangerous wave action and which also seals against the rock to protect from desiccation during low tide. Limpets forage by grazing on algae found on rock surfaces. They scrape films of algae from the rock with a radula, a ribbon-like tongue with rows of teeth. Limpets move by rippling the muscles of their foot in a wave-like motion.

Some limpets have a hole at the top, through which gaseous exchange can occur. Most limpets are less than 3 inches (8 cm) long, but a West Mexican Limpet grows to be 8 inches (20 cm).

Some species of limpets return to the same spot on the rock known as a "home scar" just before the tide recedes. In such species, the shape of their shell often grows to precisely match the contours of the rock surrounding the scar. This behaviour presumably allows them to form a better seal to the rock and may help protect from either predation or desiccation. It is still unclear how limpets find their way back to the same spot each time, but it is thought that they follow a mucus trail left as they move. Other species, notably Lottia gigantia seem to "garden" a patch of algae around their home scar. They will aggressively push other organisms out of this patch by ramming with their shell, thereby allowing their patch of algae to grow for their own grazing.

Limpets are preyed upon by a variety of organisms including shore-birds and humans. They can be long lived, with tagged specimens surviving for more than 10 years.

Limpets found on exposed shores are at risk from desiccation, and so to avoid drying out they will clamp to the rock they inhabit, minimizing water-loss from the rim around their base. As this occurs chemicals are released that promote the vertical growth of the limpet's shell.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order: Docoglossa

Suborder: Nacellina

Superfamily: Acmaeioidea

Family: Acmaeidae

i hope this could help you.. better keep reading many books!

Answer 4

Limpets are sea-living molluscs fo the family Acmaeidae, often found in coastal areas in the tidal zones.

They have single conical-shaped shells and attach to rocks using a muscular foot and feed on algae on the rocks to which they are attached.

Answer 5

Try these:
http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashores/limpets.html
http://www.gma.org/Tidings/limpet.html
http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet.cfm?base=scutus
Happy reading