Common chiton

Lepidochitona cinerea

Lepidochitona cinereus are grazing molluscs, protected by a hard shell made of interlocking valves. The underside is adhesive and around the foot sits the girdle, which on L. cinereus has a spiny fringe. The teeth are located on the tongue-like radula, hidden underneath, and are worn down and replaced with a new row every day. The teeth are mineralised with magnetite - which makes their teeth magnetic! This is currently the only species of chiton observed at West Runton, but the variety of shell patterns and colours is highly diverse. I have created a database of this polymorphism here.