Gumboot Chiton

Gumboot chiton, Cryptochiton stelleri, is the largest species of chiton in the world, capable of growing to about thirty-six centimeters long and weighing more than two kilograms. It is found along rocky shores of the northern Pacific Ocean, from central California to Alaska, across the Aleutian Islands to Kamchatka and south to Japan, living in the lower intertidal and subtidal zones. Unlike most chitons, whose eight overlapping shell plates are visible, its plates are entirely covered by a thick, leathery reddish-brown girdle, giving it an appearance tidepoolers have nicknamed the wandering meatloaf.