Where? Can you point it out? thanks Jackie. Where was the picture taken? This is so cool! What are the things coming out of the holes on top? This must be a red abalone? So the tentacles must be the things sticking out on the left, right? And the feet are on the bottom, right?
I'm posting a second photo with a circle around the small dark eye (which is at the base of the cephalic tentacles).
Abalone extend some tentacles through the pores in their shells, so you're seeing the pores in profile with the mantle tentacles coming out through the pores.
They also have epipodial tentacles along the lower edge of the shell.
(So if you're keeping track -- there are 3 types of tentacles visible in the photo, i.e., cephalic tentacles (with the eye), mantle tentacles extending upward through the pores, and epipodial tentacles surrounding the foot).
Abalone have one very large foot -- it's not easy to see from the side like this, but it would be the part in contact with the rock.
I'm checking on the identity of this juvenile abalone, as the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to verify. There are some characteristics that make it seem like it could be either a Red Abalone (Haliotis rufescens) or a Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), so I'll report back.
Where? Can you point it out? thanks Jackie. Where was the picture taken? This is so cool! What are the things coming out of the holes on top? This must be a red abalone? So the tentacles must be the things sticking out on the left, right? And the feet are on the bottom, right?
ReplyDeleteHmm, you need a good eye to see that eye. Thanks for pointing it out.
ReplyDeleteFascinating! We're so used to seeing them out of their natural habitat... very cool!
ReplyDeleteHi, Melinda,
ReplyDeleteI'm posting a second photo with a circle around the small dark eye (which is at the base of the cephalic tentacles).
Abalone extend some tentacles through the pores in their shells, so you're seeing the pores in profile with the mantle tentacles coming out through the pores.
They also have epipodial tentacles along the lower edge of the shell.
(So if you're keeping track -- there are 3 types of tentacles visible in the photo, i.e., cephalic tentacles (with the eye), mantle tentacles extending upward through the pores, and epipodial tentacles surrounding the foot).
Abalone have one very large foot -- it's not easy to see from the side like this, but it would be the part in contact with the rock.
I'm checking on the identity of this juvenile abalone, as the more I looked at it, the more I wanted to verify. There are some characteristics that make it seem like it could be either a Red Abalone (Haliotis rufescens) or a Pinto Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), so I'll report back.
I hope this helps!
Jackie