Gill Andrew, a PhD student here at SAMS, has captured rare footage of the feeding behaviour of the common limpet (Patella vulgata) on a shore near Easdale, Argyll. The animal was found underneath a layer of seaweed, and even though the tide was out, it was actively moving across the rock and feeding voraciously on a section of kelp (Laminaria digitata). For many years it has been believed that limpets feed mainly on the thin film of diatoms and other microscopic algae which coat intertidal rock surfaces. Gill’s PhD research questions this thinking; she uses stable isotope and gut contents analyses to look at limpet diets and believes that seaweeds contribute far more to their food intake than previously thought. “I actually heard this particular limpet chewing on the kelp before I saw it” Gill recalls, “then, when I moved the frond away, I was amazed to see it crawl over the rock, rear up and continue feeding! I am delighted to have captured this behaviour on film.” The footage provides further evidence for the importance of seaweeds to the diet of intertidal grazers, and shows that (in this case at least) limpets love Laminaria!

To see the footage click here

This work forms part of a NERC funded PhD carried out at SAMS and the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth (MBA).