Common periwinkle
2302383
225192880
2008-07-12T11:21:51Z
Buster7
6953547
/* Human use */ crikles
{{Taxobox
| name = Common periwinkle
| image = Littorina littorina.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Mollusk|Mollusca]]
| classis = [[Gastropod]]a
| superordo = [[Caenogastropoda]]
| ordo = [[Sorbeoconcha]]
| subordo = [[Hypsogastropoda]]
| infraordo = [[Littorinimorpha]]
| superfamilia = [[Littorinoidea]]
| familia = [[Littorinidae]]
| genus = ''[[Littorina]]''
| species = '''''Littorina littorea'''''
| binomial = ''Littorina littorea''
| binomial_authority = ([[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
}}
{{commercial mollusc topics}}
The '''common periwinkle''', or the '''winkle''', '''''Littorina littorea''''', is a [[species]] of small sea [[snail]] with an [[Operculum (gastropod)|operculum]], a [[marine (ocean)|marine]] [[gastropod]] [[mollusc]] in the family Littorinidae, the winkles.
==Distribution==
This species lives on the northeastern and northwestern shores of the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
==Habitat==
The common periwinkle is mainly found on rocky coasts in the higher [[intertidal zone]]. It sometimes lives in small [[tide pool]]s ranging from one to two [[Metre|m]] or about three to six feet in characteristic size. It is also found in [[mud]]dy [[habitat]]s such as [[estuaries]]. They are situated on the splash zone/the extreme high tide mark.
<gallery>
Image:Sea snail, underneath, full view.jpg|<center>Periwinkle emerging from its shell.</center>
Image:Littorina_littorea_fg01.jpg|<center>A cluster of common periwinkles.</center>
</gallery>
==Life habits==
Like almost all snails, the periwinkle crawls using a muscular, fleshy foot which is lubricated by a film of [[mucus]]. When not active, it often nestles in a crack or [[gully]]. During low tide when it is exposed to the air, it can seal the gap between its shell and the rock with mucus to prevent desiccation. When loosened from the substrate it can effectively seal its shell against desiccation or predation using its [[Operculum (gastropod)|operculum]].
Periwinkles feed by grazing along the surface on which they live. They use their [[radula]] to scrape [[alga]]e from rocks, and, in the salt marsh community, pick up algae from the cord grass or from the film that covers the surface of mud in estuaries or bays.
==Human use==
Edible or common periwinkles have long been gathered from the shore for food. The are eaten in [[UK|Britain]] and [[Ireland]] where they are commonly referred to as "winkles" (or in some areas "willicks" or "wilks"). It is not uncommon to find cooked periwinkles on sale in paper bags at beaches in Ireland, usually salted, with a pin attached to the bag to assist extracting the winkle from the shell. Periwinkles are a delicacy in African and Asian cuisine. In Belgium, where they are also eaten, they are referred to as "crickles".
The meat is high in [[protein]] but low in fat content; according to the [[United States National Agricultural Library|USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference]], raw snails in general are about 80% water, 15% protein, and 1.4% fat.
==Other periwinkles or winkles==
World-wide there are numerous species of periwinkle, all of which live in the [[intertidal zone]]. Some species live very high up in the splash zone, a part of the shore that is dry almost all of the time, and these species are virtually land snails.
==Other snails commonly called winkles==
In English-speaking countries in other parts of the world, gastropod molluscs from other families, such as the Nerites, ''[[Neritidae]]'', are sometimes also commonly known as "winkles", simply because they are small marine snails that occupy a similar ecological niche.
==References==
{{Nofootnotes|article}}
===Books===
* Abbott, R. Tucker, 1974. ''American Seashells''. Second edition. Van Nostrand Rheinhold, New York
* Abbott, R. Tucker, 1986. ''Seashells of North America'', St. Martin's Press, New York
{{commons|Littorina littorea}}
===External links===
* [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=400&fr=1&sts Littorina littorea (mollusc)] from the Invasive Species Specialist Group website of the [[World Conservation Union]]
* [http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Littorinalittorea.htm Common periwinkle] from the Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland
* [http://webs.lander.edu/rsfox/invertebrates/littorina.html Anatomy of the Periwinkle] from a [[Lander University]] website
[[Category:Littorinidae]]
[[Category:Edible molluscs]]
[[Category:Commercial molluscs]]
[[Category:British Isles coastal fauna|Periwinkle]]
[[ar:ونكة شائعة]]
[[da:Almindelig strandsnegl]]
[[de:Große Strandschnecke ]]
[[fr:Bigorneau]]
[[nl:Alikruik]]
[[nn:Strandsnigel]]
[[pt:Caramujo]]