Photo: (c) Jerry Kirkhart, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.
Habitat
Rocky shores and kelp forests
Habitat zone
Low shore and subtidal habitat; see local record depths below
Viewing activities
Beach / tidepool · Scuba diving
What to look for
A large chiton whose fleshy outer covering hides its shell plates.
What it eats
Mostly red algae; also sea lettuce and kelp.
Wider distribution
Alaska and western Japan south to California’s Channel Islands.
When to look
The available records do not establish a reliable local viewing season. Use the map’s month filter to inspect dated observations; it does not predict an encounter.
WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?
Explore the featured regions
These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.
Monterey Bay
Recorded here
40,735 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.
