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What the sources say

Red AbaloneHaliotis rufescens

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Red Abalone profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 43 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Aquarium of the Pacific, Online Learning Center

Red Abalone. Aquarium of the Pacific, Online Learning Center.

The page saysA one-shell snail relative that clamps onto rock with a muscular foot
The source saysRed abalone are one-shell gastropod marine mollusks related to snails and sea slugs.Note: tagline
The page saysRocky shores, tide pools and kelp forests
The source saysRed abalone inhabit the rocky shores of bays, rocky tide pools, and kelp forests.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysfrom Sunset Bay, Oregon to Bahia Tortugas, Baja California, Mexico
The source saysSunset Bay, Oregon to Bahia Tortugas, Baja California, MexicoNote: stats.habitat; range
The page saysgiant and feather boat kelp in Southern California
The source saysIn Southern California older juveniles and adults’ primary diet is giant and feather boat kelp.Note: stats.diet
The page saysbull kelp in Northern California
The source saysIn Northern California their primary diet is bull kelp.Note: stats.diet
The page saysClamps its shell down onto the rock, and the strength of its muscle makes it extremely difficult to detach.
The source saysuses its strong foot to clamp its shell down. In this attached position, the strength of the muscle makes it extremely difficult to detach the abalone.Note: stats.superpower; FAQ
The page saysdraws in its foot and mantle and clamps its shell down onto the rock
The source saysWhen an abalone is disturbed it pulls in its foot, mantle, and surrounding epopodium and uses its strong foot to clamp its shell down.
The page saysa gastropod, a one-shelled mollusc related to snails and sea slugs
The source saysRed abalone are one-shell gastropod marine mollusks related to snails and sea slugs.
The page saysin that attached position the strength of its foot muscle makes it extremely difficult to detach
The source saysuses its strong foot to clamp its shell down. In this attached position, the strength of the muscle makes it extremely difficult to detach the abalone.
The page saysthe largest and most common of the eight abalone species in California waters
The source saysThey are the largest and most common of the eight species of abalone found in California waters
The page saysShell length today averages up to 20 centimeters (8 inches)
The source saysAverage shell length today: to 20 centimeters (8 inches)
The page saysthe maximum reported for an abalone that avoids harvest is 30 centimeters (12 inches)
The source saysMaximum size if the abalone avoids harvest reported to be 30 centimeters (12 inches)
The page saysLifespan is about 30 to 35 years
The source saysAbout 30 to 35 years of ageNote: Aquarium of the Pacific gives no wild/captive scope; ADW has no lifespan
The page saysIts range runs from Sunset Bay, Oregon to Bahia Tortugas, Baja California, Mexico
The source saysSunset Bay, Oregon to Bahia Tortugas, Baja California, Mexico
The page saysIts gill chambers sit under the holes: water drawn in under the edge of the shell flows over the gills and out through them
The source saysTheir gill chambers are under the pores. Water drawn in under the edge of the shell flows over the gills and out the pores.
The page saysThe same holes carry out eggs and sperm
The source saysThe pores are also the exit for waste, eggs, and sperm which are carried out in the water flow.
The page saysIn Southern California adults feed mainly on giant and feather boat kelp, and in Northern California on bull kelp
The source saysIn Southern California older juveniles and adults’ primary diet is giant and feather boat kelp.
The page saysIn Southern California adults feed mainly on giant and feather boat kelp, and in Northern California on bull kelp
The source saysIn Northern California their primary diet is bull kelp.
The page sayseggs and sperm are flushed out into the water through the shell holes
The source saysBroadcast spawning occurs as eggs and sperm are flushed out into the water through the pores in the abalone shells.
The page saysA large adult can release as many as six million eggs
The source saysa large adult spawns as many as six million eggs
The page saysWhen one abalone begins to spawn it usually triggers others in the group
The source sayswhen one abalone starts to spawn, it usually triggers spawning of others in the aggregation
The page saysspawners need to be no more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart for spawning to succeed
The source saysA minimum density of spawners that are no more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart is essential for successful broadcast spawning.
The page saysThe swimming larvae stay up in the water column for several days to a week before they start searching for somewhere to attach
The source saysThe veligers are free-swimming, using cilia to move up in the water column where they remain for several days to a week before starting to search for a suitable substrate to which to attach
The page saysa chemical from coralline red algae called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) stimulates them to settle and stop swimming
The source saysa chemical found in coralline red algae called gABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), that stimulates the veliger larvae to settle and stop swimming.
The page saysAbalone were once abundant and supported thriving commercial and sport fisheries in California
The source saysAbundant about 30 years ago, abalone once supported thriving commercial and sport fisheries.
The page saysoverfishing, disease, populations too thin to spawn well, predation by sea otters and illegal poaching among the reasons abalone are in trouble
The source saysdue to overfishing, disease, low population densities for reproduction, predation by sea otters and other marine animals, especially of juvenile abalone, and illegal poaching, abalone are in trouble
The page saysRed abalone today average up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) in shell length. One that escapes harvest has been reported to reach 30 centimeters (12 inches).
The source saysAverage shell length today: to 20 centimeters (8 inches) Maximum size if the abalone avoids harvest reported to be 30 centimeters (12 inches)Note: FAQ 1
The page saysIt pulls in its foot, its mantle and the fringe of tissue around the foot, then uses that strong foot to clamp its shell down. Once it is attached like that, the strength of the muscle makes it extremely difficult to pull off.
The source saysWhen an abalone is disturbed it pulls in its foot, mantle, and surrounding epopodium and uses its strong foot to clamp its shell down. In this attached position, the strength of the muscle makes it extremely difficult to detach the abalone.Note: FAQ 2; epopodium = scalloped fold of tissue at the edge of the foot
The page saysRed abalone are herbivores
The source saysAbalone are herbivores. In Southern California older juveniles and adults’ primary diet is giant and feather boat kelp.

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Haliotis rufescens. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysThe massive foot works like a very powerful suction cup
The source saysIt is thus a very powerful huge suction cup with considerable surface adhesion.
The page saysThere are typically 3 to 5 holes, which fill in and are replaced by new ones as the animal ages
The source saysThere are typically 3-5 holes which fill up and are replaced by new holes as the abalone ages.
The page saystraps the alga beneath its body and eats it with small rasp-like teeth and a tongue that often measures a third of its total body length
The source saysIt then raises its foot and comes down on the plant, trapping it beneath its body. It then consumes the alga, using its small rasplike teeth and extruding tongue, which often measures one-third of the animal's total body length.Note: ADW is an old page; anatomy only
The page saysAn abalone breathes and gets rid of waste through a row of holes on one side of its shell
The source saysThe abalone breathes and discharges wastes through a row of holes on one side of the shell.

Source
03

SeaLifeBase

Haliotis rufescens summary page. SeaLifeBase.

The page saysYes. The IUCN Red List rates the species Critically Endangered, in an assessment dated 21 May 2021.
The source saysCritically Endangered (CR) (A2acde); Date assessed: 21 May 2021Note: FAQ 3

Source
04

Peters, Rogers-Bennett & De Shields 2021

Peters, Rogers-Bennett & De Shields (2021). Haliotis rufescens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T78771583A78772573.

The page saysCritically Endangered
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered (CR).Note: stats.conservationStatus; body. GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 78771583

Source
05

Gilbert et al. 2008

Gilbert et al. (2008). Gradual Ordering in Red Abalone Nacre. Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The page saysbuilds mother-of-pearl 3000-fold tougher than the mineral it is mostly made of
The source saysAragonite, a hard but brittle orthorhombic CaCO3 polymorph, accounts for 95% of nacre’s mass, yet nacre is 3000-fold tougher than aragonite.Note: tagline; nacre = mother-of-pearl per the paper's introduction
The page saysThe red abalone's nacre, or mother-of-pearl, is 95% aragonite by mass
The source saysaccounts for 95% of nacre’s massNote: scope: nacre; paper says H. rufescens and all gastropods form columnar nacre
The page saysAragonite is a hard but brittle mineral, yet nacre is 3000-fold tougher than aragonite
The source saysAragonite, a hard but brittle orthorhombic CaCO3 polymorph, accounts for 95% of nacre’s mass, yet nacre is 3000-fold tougher than aragonite.
The page saysnacre, or mother-of-pearl
The source saysNacre, or mother-of-pearl, is widely studied
The page saysThe red abalone's nacre
The source saysRed abalone (Haliotis rufescens) nacre is a layered composite biomineral
The page saysRed abalone nacre is a layered composite
The source saysRed abalone (Haliotis rufescens) nacre is a layered composite biomineralNote: vibe.reason
The page saysbuilt mostly from a hard but brittle mineral, yet it is 3000-fold tougher than that mineral
The source saysAragonite, a hard but brittle orthorhombic CaCO3 polymorph, accounts for 95% of nacre’s mass, yet nacre is 3000-fold tougher than aragonite.Note: vibe.reason

Source
06

Stierch 2025

Stierch (2025). California extends recreational red abalone fishing closure through 2036. The Mendocino Voice (Bay City News).

The page saysIn December 2025 the California Fish and Game Commission voted to keep the recreational red abalone fishery closed through April 1, 2036.
The source saysCalifornia Fish and Game Commission voted this week to extend the recreational red abalone fishery closure through April 1, 2036Note: task #1267: article dated December 22, 2025

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.