Welcome to the Marine Mili series, a regular column about all things marine! During this series I aim to inspire people to want to protect our oceans and all the marine life that call our oceans home. Hopefully after reading each column, you would have learnt something new including what we can do to help protect and preserve our oceans. You can follow me and my journey on my Instagram page: _marine_mili. 
 
A Chiton is a marine mollusc that is found in all major oceans worldwide. 

There are up to 1000 species of Chitons found around the world with 150 of those species found in Victoria, along with seven species that call Phillip Island home.

The Chiton is considered an ancient mollusc and is often found in tidepools, rocky shores and intertidal zones, although certain species have been found in waters up to 7000 metres deep.

Found in rocky habitats, the Chitons blend in with their patterned shells that resemble rocks.

If the Chiton is in a rock pool and the tide goes out, there is a chance they will be out of water.

You may be wondering if they can survive out of water? They can in fact breathe out of the water, but only for a short period of time while their gills stay wet.

These little rock pool warriors have a varied life span and can live for two to 20 years. 

Whilst Chitons do not have eyes, they do have other sensory features that help them move, such as a large muscular foot located underneath their shell.

In terms of diet, this species eat algae and bacteria found on rocks.

A Chiton's shell is made up of eight overlapping plates, which are used as protection against harsh waves and potential predators such as fish, sea birds, sea stars, sea snails and crabs.