Slipper Limpet (Crepidula fornicata), or American Limpet, shells washed up on a Dorset beach, UK. Slipper Limpets are an alien invader that have been

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Slipper Limpet (Crepidula fornicata), or American Limpet, shells washed up on a Dorset beach, UK. Slipper Limpets are an alien invader that have been accidentally introduced to UK waters around 1880, probably on the shells of American Oysters. They require the same habitat as Oysters. Both are filter feeders, sharing exactly the same food. It has been observed that Oyster populations have declined in areas that have been colonised by the Slipper Limpet. They now occur commonly in sandy and muddy areas from Spurn Head on the east coast, round the south coast to Cardigan Bay. One of the reasons for their success is that the eggs are protected under the shell of the mother until they are hatched.

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Size: 3636px × 4847px
Photo credit: © ADRIAN BICKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: abundance, american, animal, beach, close-, crepidula, dorset, fornicata, fragility, kingdom, limpet, nature, sand, shell, slipper, sunlight, themes, uk, united, wet, wildlife