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Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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How to Identify Chitons

By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
 
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Instructions

  • Step 1:
    Know the habitat of chitons. Chitons live mainly along rocky shorelines, and you'll find them attached to rocks in the tidal zone.
  • Step 2:
    Observe the size of a chiton. Most chitons are between 2 and 8 centimeters long. However, chitons can grow to be very large, up to 30 centimeters in length.
  • Step 3:
    Note the features of a chiton. They have an oval shape, a fleshy girdle that is typically textured and a series of overlapping shell segments on the top of the body.
  • Step 4:
    Learn about the shell of the chiton that always had eight segments. The first and last segments are usually half-circle shaped. The other six segments are "V" shaped or rectangular shaped. These segments fit together with interlocking teeth and grooves.
  • Step 5:
    Find and use a guidebook to seashells to help you better identify the different characteristics of the many species of chitons. A good guidebook to use is "A Guide to Field Identification: Seashells of North America" published by Golden Press.

Tips & Warnings

  • You are more likely to find a living chiton than a shell washed up on the beach because chiton shells tend to fall apart easily.
  • The girdle of a chiton is a fleshy extension of the mantle that all chitons have.
  • A few species of chitons have shells underneath their girdle so the shells are not visible. An example of this type of chiton would be the Giant Pacific Chiton.
  • When collecting chitons, preserve the entire animal for identification purposes. The girdle is very useful in identifying the species of chiton.

Resources
How to Identify Chitons Provided by eHow.com

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