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Reference.org
Common periwinkle
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<p>The common periwinkle or winkle (<i>Littorina littorea</i>) is a <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of small edible <a href="/facts/Whelk/zeyfvQ1X">whelk</a> or <a href="/facts/Sea_snail/p6GReFBF">sea snail</a>, a <a href="/facts/Marine_(ocean)/8W8lYgjD">marine</a> <a href="/facts/Gastropod/rYPqm3PT">gastropod</a> <a href="/facts/Mollusc/1elgknsQ">mollusc</a> that has <a href="/facts/Gill/FWgM3Jp8">gills</a> and an <a href="/facts/Operculum_(gastropod)/dAluNWBS">operculum</a>, and is classified within the family <a href="/facts/Littorinidae/WhbdquHy">Littorinidae</a>, the periwinkles. </p><p>This is a robust <a href="/facts/Intertidal/grnBDVQ3">intertidal</a> species with a dark and sometimes banded shell. It is native to the rocky shores of the northeastern, and introduced to the northwestern, <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic Ocean</a>. </p>