Common Limpet
Patella vulgata
Alternative names: European Limpet, Llygaed y Graig (eyes of the rock)
Limpets rarely appear on the menus of cafe’s or restaurants in the UK, you’ll even be hard pushed to find them for sale at fish shacks on harbour walls of coastal towns like Fowey in Cornwall – in fact you are much more likely to find information about using them as bait for fishing. However these common little gastropods were once widely eaten by our ancestors and the shells used in bowdrill sets to make fire by friction.
Where Do Common Limpets Live?
Common Limpets live exclusively on the coast, and attached to rocks in the intertidal zone which are submerged by seawater either almost permanently or with each high tide. They are found around most of the British coastline – wherever there are suitable rocks out of the worst of the wave action. The common limpet also lives on rocky shores in western Europe.
Common Limpets can live for around 20 years in the right conditions, and feed mostly on algae by scraping the surface of the rock with a tooth-like organ called a radula, although considered herbivores they likely eat very young barnacles and other species which try to settle on ‘their’ rock. Each limpet has it’s own home zone made up of the particular spot where it resides when out of water and creates a perfect seal with the rock, and the larger grazing area, usually completely free of vegetation.
Are Common Limpets Edible?
Common Limpets are edible and have been eaten throughout their range and human history, there is evidence in the form of discarded shells found in stone, bronze and iron-age middens which are made up of domestic waste. Generally considered safer than mussels, particularly in summer months, limpets have an excellent fishy flavour and are simple to cook and use although rubbery if overcooked. John Wright is not such a fan and in the River Cottage handbook ‘Edible Seashore’ introduces them by saying that “Anyone who enjoys eating pencil rubbers dipped in fish paste will find common limpet a treat” not a shining recommendation.
Although Common Limpet are edible, they are also important for the ecology of the seashore, being indiscriminate grazers, they ensure that every species has the same chance at survival on the rocky shore, otherwise species such as fast-growing green algae can become dominant. If you do decide to gather limpets, the impact should be spread over several rocks, with only a couple taken from each location on the beach.
How to Identify Common Limpets
Limpets can be found year round and once you find one, there are likely to be more nearby. Common Limpets have a squat conical shape with ridges running up and down their shells. They are not especially quick at moving and as a result sometimes have barnacles or seaweed growing on their shells. As soon as you touch the shell of a living limpet, it will pull itself down onto the rock and bond to it tightly. The best way to gather limpets is to use a sturdy knife which you don’t mind damaging slightly, there is usually at least one small gap under the edge of the shell where you can gently push the tip of the knife, and then twist it to lever the limpet off the rock. If you don’t have a suitable knife with you, then a solid kick with the heel of a boot works too – but you may need to chase your limpet down the beach!
Potential Dangers and Misidentification
The main thing to look for if you are collecting some limpets to eat, is the health of the surrounding and localised pollution levels. Unlike filter-feeding bivalves, the grazing gastropods including limpets and periwinkles are relatively low risk in terms of shellfish poisonings which are usually caused by the animal accumulating toxins from algal blooms. However, you should always stay clear of busy harbours, any outflows from roads or sewers or run-off from old mining works as surface contamination on the rock could be taken up by the grazing limpet.
***A NOTE OF CAUTION***
Foraging and hunting for wild food is a potentially hazardous activity.
Whilst we do our best to make sure these species and wild food guides are as accurate as possible there is ALWAYS the possibility of the user (or the author…) misidentifying a plant or other item, and the descriptions given might also apply to similar toxic plants.
Common names cannot be relied upon as they change from region to region, and there are some similar names for very different plants. When researching species on the internet you can sometimes find a common name referring to a completely different species to the one you are trying to learn about.
You should always be confident of the identification of a plant, fungus or lichen BEFORE you touch it and especially before you put it anywhere near your mouth.
The best way to do that is by checking with a good wild flower key or identification book, and ideally cross-referencing between more than one book.
Or – as all of the cool people say: Never Munch on a Hunch.
Richard is a UK wilderness skills and outdoor safety instructor with over a decade of experience working on expeditions, in SAR, training the military and emergency services.
A passionate forager, hunter, angler and outdoorsman, he has appeared on television and web series numerous times, and is a regular contributor to podcasts, magazines and other publications.
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