So What are chitons and have they any abilities?
Chitons are sea molluscs that have 8 plates for a shell with 100 eyes over these plates they process a huge foot to grab rocks. It also has a radula of rows of teeth for eating algae chitons can regrow teeth quicker than they lose them they can also roll into a ball like a woodlouse!.
What Do Chitons Do?
Chitons have helped develop the oceans, especially where they live in the more tropical areas of the world. They’ve developed the most amazing teeth known to man.
Chitons scalped rock and limestone with these teeth. To be fair the main job is cleaning and eating. They love eating all the alga and debris of all the rocks under the sea.
Where is chiton found?
Chitons are amazing in that they can be found all over the oceans and seas. Anywhere where there are rocks limestones etc they are very adaptable it seems.
Some species live quite high in the intertidal zone and are exposed to the air and light for long periods.
Others have been found near the ocean bed up to 14000 feet down. Mostly chiton resides around 7000 feet under rocks and mainly like warmer climates.
More tropical seas near volcanoes of all things. Nonetheless, there are some species of chiton that seem to like it cold polar seas.
The Basic Facts & Some Common Questions About The Chiton
Let’s delve a little deeper and have a look into our little mollusc. What’s he all about lets answer a few favourite questions!.
Do Chitons Eat Algae?
Yes, indeed this strange-looking mollusc will it algae and plankton. Some small muscle worms tiny crabs, parts of lobsters, shrimp, krill, copepods, and amphipods. And more sessile creatures like barnacles.
So a pretty varied diet all in all chiton will eat whatever on those rocks.
Can Chitons Roll Into A Ball?
Oh boy, this is something that comes up a lot when looking into these creatures. The answer is an emphatic yes.
They have eight valves across their back. Plates to you and me. These plates overlap each other and are extremely flexible and also super tough.
Well, these plates can move in such a way. As it allows the chiton to roll up and put itself into a ball in much the same way as a woodlouse.
How Do Chitons Defend Themselves From Predators?
They don’t have the most amazing defence in the world but still manage fairly well. What stands out is the number of eyes they have 100 of these eyes all over the shell.
The eyes will give an early alert signal but also must be a bit weird for any predator to see that looking back at you.
Don’t forget the massive foot these things have. It would be almost impossible to ply the chiton off any rock, to begin with.
Let’s be honest it’s the amazing shell made of eight distinct moving parts acting as an almost unpenetrable moving piece of amour.
Once rolled up into a ball. This amour is well hard but also the chiton looks like a piece of rock now clever eh.
Do Chitons Bite?
Bite us?. As humans no not really they wouldn’t do so well out of water for long enough although they can breathe air.
Keep reading for more on how this little critter breathes.
The mouth wouldn’t be big enough either with the most common chiton only reaching 2 or 3 cm in length.
Plus the mouth is situated underneath its body. Just don’t try putting your finger in its mouth as then I’m sure it will give it a bite.
As we know they have rows and rows of teeth with 17 teeth on each row and these teeth happen to be the toughest teeth on earth,
How Big Can Chitons Get?
As stated above they normally reach an inch maybe two so 2 to 4 cm. That being said there’s a particular species of chiton that can reach somewhere in the region of 40 cm 15 inches.
Yep introducing the GUMBOOT chiton this beast can grow over ten times the size of the regular chiton scary stuff.
Can You Handle A Chiton?
On the whole, they don’t like being handled much and most species tend to not like being out of water for long.
Picking A Chiton Up?
Although Yes you can pick them up but getting them off their rock without hurting them is the tricky bit. Best thing to do is bring them with their rock.
Most species will need some of their water brought with them too. This allows for them to acclimatise quicker.
How Many Chitons Are There?
Polyplacophora anyone this is the ancient Greek term for plate bearer it seems. All creatures with these plates are considered chiton as long as the other criteria are met.
What Criteria?
It appears there are three main criteria for this. The creature must be a marine and must have a shell with the eight plates as stated.
Last but not least embedded within the plates is a tough stiff mantle referred to as a girdle. There’s also a fourth requirement that was later added.
A large muscular foot. The foot and the girdle act as a suction cup.
So How Many I Hear You Ask Again?
I said all that so we now know the criteria needed and the scientific name given to this form of molluscs.
Now we can be more exact and tell you there are 940 species of chiton that’s right 940 and that’s after we narrowed it down there are loads of them.
What Is The Common Name Of Chiton?
After reading the above I suspect you think ill give you 940 different names. Nope, I don’t think I can ill give the most common tho hope that’s enough.
First the most common chiton ie there are more of these than any other kind. Well, that would be the GREEN CHITON.
Types of CHITON Here are A Few!.
- Leptochiton
- Stenosemus Albus
- Boreochiton rubber
- Hanleya hanleyi
- Tonicella marmorea
- Callochiton septemvalvi
We also have the blue-green and the gumboot that we’ve spoken about in this post
What Is A Bidarkis?
That brings us nicely to the next question what is a Bidarkis?
Bidarkis is the Russian name for our mate the chiton. As when it’s upside down it resembles a particular type of boat.
Are Chitons Related To Snails?
Indeed Yes snails are a form of molluscs as is our boy the chiton. They are catalogued together as phylum Mollusca within the same family.
How Do You Identify A Chiton?
Identifying our fella is relatively easy. As we spoke about previously this particular mollusc has to meet certain criteria.
The shell has eight distinct parts the girdle and the foot acting as a suction cup!. Oh and no eyes on the head but hundreds if not a thousand eyes over the shell.
Don’t forget the radula acting like a tongue!.
Do Chitons Have Legs?
No, they have no legs.
They can be hairy or smooth and come in many colours. There are a few smaller ones and a few giants but alas none have legs just a giant foot to creep around on.
Do Chitons Have Eyes?
Yes, they have eyes.
Is There An Animal With 100 Eyes?
They don’t have eyes on their heads tho oh no that’s too easy. They have hundreds even a thousand on their shells.
Not only do they have eyes their eyes are not normal. As they are not made like ours and other animals oh no there not protein-based there made from limestone.
Or other rocks but they all process a retina and a lens they work fully as an eye their called ocelli!.
What’s more interesting If that’s not enough they can grow new eyes yep if they need more eyes or they lose a few they can just grow more. mad really.
Chiton Shell
Well, the shell of our friend acts as a suit of armour. The shell covers the whole dorsal and head. In fact, it covers the whole body.
While this shell covers the whole body it does so in a unique way. It is comprised of separate individual pieces.
These pieces are called valves. We would look at them as eight separate plates each one slightly overlapping the next.
The overlapping works perfectly allowing the chiton to move across uneven surfaces as the shell pivots and moves with the contours of the body.
Allowing for good movement in and out of rocks. What’s more impressive is if dislodged from its rock or a predator attacks.
This amazing dude because of his wonderfully designed shell can curl up into a perfect ball. With no gaps, all eight pieces of the plates/valves are now interlinked.
Circling the shell is what can be described as a skirt. This is the mantle or girdle spoken of earlier it adds an extra layer of protection.
Much the same way as tiles do on the roof of a house. These tiles overlap too to give extra support against an enemy.
Chiton Foot
Their foot is massive in comparison to the rest of them. They only have or need one foot and have no need for legs.
This massive foot is flat and takes up three-quarters of the underside. Chiton’s foot is all muscle and very adhesive allowing our buddy to stay on rocks no matter the weather.
Do Chitons Have Brains?
This is an interesting question. Chiton has a developed nervous system with stems and distinct cords leading from a central ring.
That goes directly to three different areas lateral, ventral and cerebral nerve cords!. So The answer is emphatically Yes they have brains and like ourselves, they range in size between the different species of chiton.
Do Chitons Have A Heart?
Yep, they sure do thy have a fully functioning heart. Towards the back of its body near its bum. This heart has three chambers.
Two of the chambers carry blood from the gills and the other one pumps the blood around the body.
Is A Chiton An Isopod?
Isopods are a very varied group. There are about 10000 species or kinds of isopods. They have five branches of appendages on each side of their abdomen.
Isopods also have seven joined appendages on their thorax. So although similar NO they are NOT Isopods.
Isopods have legs and antennas chitons have a foot and lots of eyes hehe.
Are Chitons Trilobites? Do Any Trilobites Still Exist?
Again they’re close to these ancient but sadly extinct creatures. But alas chiton again has a foot like a snail or a slug and the extinct trilobites had legs apparently.
So no they’re not trilobites although they have been called the trilobite impostor on many occasions.
Are Chitons Good In Reef Tanks?
Chitons or sea cradles as they are sometimes known would make great tank mates. They love eating algae and cleaning.
You do need to keep in mind a few species of these molluscs. Are predatory and are partial to shrimp and snails overall tho not a bad idea for keeping the tank clean.
One thing to point out is keeping the nitrate low chiton doesn’t do well in a high nitrate environment.
Just to point out there’s a species of sea cradle for every tank as chiton are found in all types of waters.
Chiton Conclusion
So in conclusion what an amazing sea creature these molluscs are just wow. Let’s recap some things we’ve discovered in this post.
This bad boy is as tough as old boots. Can live in the sea and on land it seems. Can live in different waters and adapt to them.
Has body armour to die for. Can roll up into an unpenetrable ball. Let’s not forget it has the most powerful foot on earth with some amazing suction power.
We haven’t even got to the main points yet. This fella has so many superpowers that he should be an avenger by now.
Radular tongue with teeth?
Right, let’s talk about the radula an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue.
This tongue has teeth yep. Teeth are so powerful they are made of magnetic mineral magnetite. Making them the strongest teeth on earth.
These teeth are everywhere they have rows and rows maybe two dozen rows with seventeen on each row. That’s at least 408 teeth.
As if that was not enough when it loses some as it grinds rock all day every day. Well, it makes new ones that’s right it can regrow teeth all day all its life.
Made Of Eyes
Last but not least my favourite thing about this little dude. Its eyes yep it has hundreds maybe a thousand eyes all over that amazing shell.
But get this they are not normal oh no they ain’t made like ours from protein and such. Nope there made from rock and limestone.
These eyes work tho I mean they have a working retina and a lens and everything. Also just for fun, they can grow more eyes.
If they lose an eye in a fight or it scratches whatever ill just grow some more mad. I’ve heard the saying I’m not made of eyes well my mate chiton is.
He’s literally made of eyes. Thanks for reading!.
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