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Creature Feature: The Black Abalone
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The Black Abalone is a critically endangered large sea snail, or gastropod mollusk. The shell can be one of the following colors: dark brown, dark green, dark blue or other dark (nearly black) shade, but not black itself. However, the rest of the animal (tentacles, foot, etc.) is all black. The inside of the shell has a light pink and green tint to it and surprisingly, the outside of the shell is actually rather smooth, which is not common among most other abalone species. The Black Abalone’s shell can grow to a max size of 7.9 inches (20 cm), but usually will average somewhere between 3.9 and 5.5 inches (10 and 14 cm).
Black Abalones like to make their homes on rocky surfaces located within low intertidal zones. Being strictly vegetarian, these creatures love to feed on drift algae and kelp. They can also live for at least 30 years or more, but unfortunately, the numerous threats they face don’t allow most to reach that point.
You see, the Black Abalone is highly preyed upon. Natural predators include sea otters, fish, and crustaceans. And then, there are humans. Humans have hunted and preyed upon these creatures for more than 10,000 years. Apart from eating them, humans have used the shells to make beads, fish hooks, and ornaments. Needless to say, overfishing still plays a part in their decline and there is one other major threat they face: Withering Abalone Syndrome.
Withering Abalone Syndrome is a disease that usually targets Black and Red abalone species. Caused by the bacterium Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis, the disease attacks the lining of the Abalone’s digestive track and basically puts a stop to the production of digestive enzymes. This forces the Abalone to eat itself in order to prevent starvation, thus resulting in withering and atrophy of the foot (or body) of the creature. The deterioration makes it more difficult for the Abalone to cling to rocks and exposes them even further to predators. If they are not taken by the predators, they will starve to death.
To find out more about the Black Abalone, check out these sites:
Black Abalone: Living on the Edge and in Need of Critical Habitat
NOAA: Black Abalone
Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association
Center for Biological Diversity: Saving the Black Abalone
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Status Review Report for Black Abalone
SIMoN (Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network)
Bay Nature: Black Rock Abalone Endangered
Abalone Network: Poachers Threaten Monterey’s Endangered Black Abalone
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: Black Abalone, California, Creature Feature, critically endangered species, disease, gastropod, Mexico, mollusk, over fishing, Pacific Coast, Pacific Ocean, poaching, predators, sea snail, Withering Abalone Syndrome
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