Abalone is a bivalve mollusk belonging to the family Abalone. They are shellfish that live in the sea and are usually used as food and handicrafts. They are very popular seafood.

The shell of abalone is round or oval, usually with five to seven holes, one of which is the breathing opening of abalone, and the rest are used for excretion and reproduction. Abalone shells usually have beautiful colors and textures, so they are widely used to make handicrafts, such as jewelry, tableware and decorations.

Abalone is flat and round, and most species are about 10 to 20 cm long. They usually live on rocks and coral reefs in the ocean and like to look for food in the turbulent tide. Abalone mainly feeds on algae and plankton, and other marine life parasitic on abalone often becomes their food.

The breeding mode of abalone is hermaphroditism, and males and females usually mate in spring. Abalone will lay eggs after mating, and the eggs will hatch into young abalone in the ocean. Young abalones usually float in the ocean for weeks until their shells are fully formed and can attach to rocks and coral reefs.

Morphological characteristics of abalone

The size of abalone varies from abalone (10cm) to purple abalone (30cm). Outside their bodies, they are covered with a thick calcium shell. The shell of abalone is extremely strong, and it is made of miniature calcium carbonate bricks stacked like bricks. Between the tiles is a viscous protein substance.

When the shell of abalone is hit, the tiles will slide rather than break, and the protein will stretch to absorb the impact energy. Abalone has a low shell, a wide ear on the left side, a small spiral part and a large spiral layer, which accounts for almost all of the shell. The single-walled shell of a snail is hard and its shape is right-handed. On the shell of abalone, there are a series of spiral protrusions that gradually increase from the top of the shell to the abdominal surface.