User:Kyle.Eppert/Hawaiian Perwinkle

The Hawaiin Periwinkle is a variant of the Common Periwinkle found along the shores of the Hawaiian Islands. Belonging in the family of Littorinidae, it's scientific name is Echinolittorina Hawaiiensis.

These snails can easily be seen in the time between low and high tide, also referred to as the intertidal zone.

The Hawaiian Periwinkle faces a number of predators such as birds, marine life, and humans, who consume the snails as part of their diet. The snails also face a changing ecosystem with the continued commercial development of the Hawaiian Islands adding to the difficulty in conservation efforts.

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The Hawaiian Periwinkle strongly resembles many other variants of “Periwinkles” as they all derive from the same family, Littorinidae. These small marine snails are usually found along the coasts attached to the various rocks and stones. They possess a hard shell that, as the Periwinkle itself grows, grows with it. Their shell is the primary means of defense against natural predators. The Hawaiian Periwinkle, like the Common Periwinkle, is a herbivore feeding primarily on the algae that grows along the rocky coasts. While the Hawaiian Periwinkle is a herbivore, some of their most common predators include various birds known to the Hawaiian Islands, small rodents, and any larger marine life that are carnivorous. Other threats the Hawaiian Periwinkle, like many other organisms in Hawaii, face is the continued development across the islands leading to various habitat loss. As it pertains to the body of the snail, it has two tentacles at the front of the head that grant the Hawaiian Periwinkle the ability to see and taste its surroundings. Along the main portion of the body of the snail they possess a muscular foot that enables them freedom of movement as well as the ability to remain firmly in place as the waves break along the rocky shoreline. (2) If a snail were to become food for a predator, quite often will the remaining shell become inhabited by either nearby hermit crabs or other smaller marine life.

The Hawaiian Periwinkles also serve as a cultural staple. In multiple cultures they are considered a delicacy in cuisines and can even be used as fishing bait.