Richmond, Va.,'for his question:
What and where is the abalone?
The abalone is a sea snail, though his shell is not gracefully coiled like those worn by the land snails. His assorted kinfolk range in size from half eggshells to medium salad bowls. Most species enjoy rather lazy lives along warmish shores, usually from tidal level to a depth of about 60 feet. A few live in deeper water where they nibble on masses of trailing seaweeds.
The abalone's name is pronounced with four syllables, saying the final "e." He also may be called the sea ear or the ear shell, no doubt because his humped oval shell is shaped somewhat like a human ear. He has a thick, sturdy shell, usually encrusted with algae and sandy marine debris. Along one side or over the top, depending on the species, there is a row of bumpy beads ending in several round holes.
Marine biologists classify him as a mollusk, related to the leisurely garden snail. However, he belongs to the sea and, unlike the land snails, has gills for extracting oxygen from the water. His boneless body is mainly a muscular foot. He has a head, a pair of eyes and a fringe of sensitive tentacles. Water is drawn in from below, swished through the gills and exhaled through the holes in the shell.
Various abalones are found in shallow coastal waters off Australia and New Zealand, also in the Mediterranean and along the east and west shores of the Atlantic. Others live around Pacific isles. The smallest species are about 1 inch wide. The giant of the family is the red California abalone, who enjoys life along our Pacific coast. One of these old timers may have a shell that measures a foot wide.
The average abalone is a bottom dweller and his crusty shell does not cover the frilly edges of his body. He tends to avoid bright sunshine and spends the day hiding among shady rocks. At night he comes out to browse on marine vegetation. He has a rough, toothy tongue called a radula which he uses to scrape algae from the rocks and nibble fragments from sea lettuces and trailing kelp.
He crawls along on his muscular foot, as it expands and contracts, grips and relaxes. This waving motion is two¬sided first left, then right. If the old slowpoke decided to make a 5 yard dash, which is not likely, he could cover the distance in about 1 minute.
When alarmed, he uses his entire foot as a suction cup and grips the ground with all his might. And what a grip he has! It takes a force equal to 400 pounds to dislodge even a smallish abalone. Nevertheless, a clever sea otter can capture him, scoop him out of his shell and dine on his boneless body. Other enemies include tiny sea worms that burrow holes through the top of his shell.
The outside of the abalone shell is rough and inconspicuous. But the inside is lined with satin smooth nacre, gleaming with peacock blues and greens, pale pinks and pearly grays. This mother of pearl is used to make jewelry and fancy buttons. And, when the muscular foot is sliced and pounded, it becomes a most delicious seafood.