Tag Archive for ‘Behavioural plasticity’

The limpet of light virtue

Recently, while on fieldwork in Norfolk, I came across several shells of the Slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata), on the beach. Hardly worthy of comment, you might think, but the Slipper Limpet shouldn’t be here. Looking at its known distribution range, it was reported in Norfolk for the first time just a few years ago. Yet, there it was, now during my marine field trip, and in considerable numbers. First introduced into the UK with imported oysters towards the end of the 19th century, the slipper limpet has now spread to 20 countries.