common periwinkle

marine snail

Also known as: Littorina littorea

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June 17, 2026

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Common Periwinkle (Marine Snail)

The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is a small marine snail belonging to the family Littorinidae. These snails are typically found on rocky shores between high and low tide marks, though some inhabit mud flats or mangrove roots. The common periwinkle is the largest and most widespread species in the northern regions, reaching up to 4 cm in length with a dark gray, spiral shell. Originally from northern Europe, it was introduced to North America around 1857 and is now common along the New England coast. Periwinkles are primarily herbivores and are an important food source for shorebirds.1

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periwinkle
The common periwinkle, Littorina littorea, is the largest, most common and widespread of the northern species. It may reach a length of 4 centimetres (1 1/2 inches), is usually dark gray, and has a solid spiral (turbinate) shell that readily withstands the buffeting of waves. Widespread…
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The common periwinkle, Littorina littorea, is the largest, most common and widespread of the northern species. It may reach a length of 4 centimetres (1 1/2 inches), is usually dark gray, and has a solid spiral (turbinate) shell that readily withstands the buffeting of waves. Widespread…
Read More

gastropod
Reproduction and life cycles
…fortnightly high tides or storms; L. littorea, on the lower half of the shore, also has pelagic egg capsules, which hatch six days later into veligers; L. littoralis, which lives on seaweeds that are rarely exposed by the tides, deposits gelatinous egg masses on the seaweeds, and the larvae pass…
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…fortnightly high tides or storms; L. littorea, on the lower half of the shore, also has pelagic egg capsules, which hatch six days later into veligers; L. littoralis, which lives on seaweeds that are rarely exposed by the tides, deposits gelatinous egg masses on the seaweeds, and the larvae pass…
Read More