Red abalone

Haliotis rufescens · The red abalone is a very large edible sea snail that lives in rocky, kelp-filled waters from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California, Mexico.

Red abalone
Photo: Irene, CC0
Red abalone
Photo: Jengod, CC BY-SA 4.0
Red abalone
Photo: Nathan, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassGastropoda
OrderLepetellida
FamilyHaliotidae
GenusHaliotis
SpeciesHaliotis rufescens

Where it lives

Rocky coasts and kelp forests from Oregon to Baja California.

Fun facts

  • The red abalone is the largest abalone in the world, with a shell that can grow up to 31 cm (12 in) long.
  • A red abalone's shell is often so covered in barnacles and other marine growth that its brick-red color is hard to see.
  • Under all that growth, the inside of a red abalone's shell is polished and strongly iridescent.
  • Red abalone munch on kelp, including giant kelp, feather boa kelp and bull kelp, while the young eat coralline algae, bacteria and diatoms.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).