📸 PhotoPhoto: Jerry Kirkhart · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Gumboot chiton
Cryptochiton stelleri (Gumboot chiton · Gumboot chiton)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum length of 14 inches (about 36 cm) is slightly longer than a 30 cm ruler (Comparison).
- 💡 Its muscular foot is sometimes eaten in the same manner as abalone (SeaLifeBase).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The gumboot chiton is the world's largest chiton, living along rocky coasts of the Pacific Ocean.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It reaches up to 14 inches (about 36 cm) in length and has an extraordinary ability to cling tightly to rocks.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
Mostly nocturnal, it crawls over intertidal rock surfaces feeding on seaweeds such as sea lettuce, bryozoans, and diatoms. During the May spawning season it can be seen in shallow water; when males release sperm into the water, females lay eggs in strings, clusters, or spiral arrangements.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed as 'Malgunbu' (Korean name) in the National List of Species of Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • marinespecies.org — aphia.php
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000044190 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000044190
- • wikidata.org — Q1861188
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Cryptochiton stelleri.jpg
- • animaldiversity.org — Cryptochiton stelleri
- • sealifebase.se — Cryptochiton-stelleri.html
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.