Chiton

Chitons (/ˈkaɪtɒnz, ˈkaɪtənz/) are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (/ˌpɒlipləˈkɒfərə/ POL-ee-plə-KOF-ər-ə), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized.

This article is about the mollusc class. For the mollusc genus, see Chiton (genus). For other uses, see Chiton (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with chitin.

Chiton
Temporal range:
A live lined chiton, Tonicella lineata photographed in situ: The anterior end of the animal is to the right.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Polyplacophora
Blainville, 1816
Subgroups

See text.

They are also sometimes known as sea cradles or coat-of-mail shells or suck-rocks, or more formally as loricates, polyplacophorans, and occasionally as polyplacophores.

Chitons have a shell composed of eight separate shell plates or valves. These plates overlap slightly at the front and back edges, and yet articulate well with one another. Because of this, the shell provides protection at the same time as permitting the chiton to flex upward when needed for locomotion over uneven surfaces, and even allows the animal to curl up into a ball when dislodged from rocks. The shell plates are encircled by a skirt known as a girdle.

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