Common Limpet
Common Limpet
Invertebrate
A sea snail that clamps onto rocks with incredible force.
💡 Fun Facts
- Clamps down onto the rock with incredible force, sealing water inside its shell to stop itself from drying out in the sun.
Name Story
Patella vulgata
means “The common little dish”
What does its name mean?
- Patella — little dish, shallow panLatin — the same word gives us 'kneecap'
- vulgata — common, ordinaryLatin, from vulgus 'ordinary people'
A limpet's cone-shaped shell is just like a tiny upturned dish — which is what 'Patella' means — and it is the commonest limpet clinging to Britain's rocky shores.
🔎 Featured in a nature example
See this creature's story: The Limpet's Moon Clock