The Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is a small edible sea snail and a marine gastropod mollusk that has gills and an operculum. They are native to the northeastern rocky shores, and they were introduced to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The shell of the Common Periwinkle is broadly ovate, thick, and sharply pointed except when eroded. It has six to seven whorls with some fine thread and wrinkles. The coloration can be gray to gray-brown with dark spiral bands, and the inside of the shell is chocolate brown. The species is omnivorous and primarily grazes on algae, but it will also eat small invertebrates like barnacle larvae.
Common Periwinkles have a length between .63”-1.5” (1.6-3.8 cm), width from .43”-1.06” (1.1-2.7 cm), and height of .43”-1.06” (1.1-2.7 cm). The typical lifespan of the Common Periwinkle is 4-10 years.
The Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is a small edible sea snail and a marine gastropod mollusk that has gills and an operculum. They are native to the northeastern rocky shores, and they were introduced to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. The shell of the Common Periwinkle is broadly ovate, thick, and sharply pointed except when eroded. It has six to seven whorls with some fine thread and wrinkles. The coloration can be gray to gray-brown with dark spiral bands, and the inside of the shell is chocolate brown. The species is omnivorous and primarily grazes on algae, but it will also eat small invertebrates like barnacle larvae.
Common Periwinkles have a length between .63”-1.5” (1.6-3.8 cm), width from .43”-1.06” (1.1-2.7 cm), and height of .43”-1.06” (1.1-2.7 cm). The typical lifespan of the Common Periwinkle is 4-10 years.