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| Littorina littorea, the common periwinkle. |
This little guy was spotted while tidepooling in Rhode Island in May. It's a nice specimen of Littorina littorea, the common periwinkle, and you can see several others in the background. This is a large, herbivorous snail that is common on rocky or cobble shores in this part of the world. You can see the small rockweed (Fucus sp.) shoots in the photo trying to make a go of it, and the rock is covered with barnacles. This is pretty typical for around here.
L. littorea is an introduced species on this coast of North America; it came over from Europe in the mid-19th century and has since spread far from its introduction site in the northeast. In their native range, they are an important food source (I've seen them served at a seaside bar in northwest France), but aren't widely consumed here.
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