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Animal profile

Gumboot Chiton

Cryptochiton stelleri

PolyplacophoraLow intertidal and shallow subtidal rock on cold, exposed coasts

Field profile

The gumboot chiton is the largest chiton, reaching over thirty centimetres and a leathery reddish-brown appearance. Unlike other chitons its eight shell plates are completely covered by the girdle, so no armour shows. It grazes algae from rock at night.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-05-02

Gumboot Chiton

The gumboot chiton grows teeth capped with iron ore

Chitons cap the teeth on their rasping tongue with magnetite, a hard iron oxide, mineralised from scratch by the animal. It is one of the very few cases of an animal making a magnetic mineral into a working tool.

Read with evidence →

Gumboot Chiton | Daily Animal Facts