We found this animal(?) at our northern California beach near Santa Cruz this evening. Three of them actually. Never seen one before.
Anyone?
Abalone?
It’s a chiton. Possibly the Giant Pacific “Gumboot” Chiton.
Looks to me like it could be a gumboot chiton or a related species. Chitons are mollusks that are something like snails, but have a shell made of a series of plates rather than a single unit.
In the gumboot chiton, the plates are entirely covered by the fleshy mantle. If the creatures are still around, see if you can feel the plates on its back through the mantle.
Yes, it was. Surprisingly pronounced: kahy-ton.
You learn something new everyday.
My intro scuba instructor seemed to think they resembled poonani. He also offered advanced and muff diving classes.
It looked like an anti-loneliness device they had on sale underneath the locked glass cabinet down at Spanky’s Emporium.
Clearly it’s the creature from Aeon Flux with the Bliss Berry of forgetfulness.
Duh.
Looks erotic.
Vagina Dentata man.
It’s the marine canteloupe, Cucumis pacificus.
Ah yes, the Gumboot Chiton, natures ocarina.
Gumboot Chiton trivia: They have magnetic teeth.
They have whatnow?! Fill us in, please!
PS. Who the hell named this thing? Gumboot?!?
I bet I know what it tastes like.
Smells a bit fishy to me. 
Risotto?
This is almost the exact sentiment I expressed to my GF on the beach. Put a vibrating nub on the underside and this thing and it would snug up nicely, I’m guessing.
They have a radula (essentially a tongue) tipped with a rasp composed of magnetite.
The specimens we’re seeing in the photos here are turned almost inside out - in life, they look like a hard wavy, stony plate (visible as the tooth-like scales inside the cavity in the pictures) with a thick rubbery sole (which is the soft body parts of the animal).
Think of it as a very substantial slug with a shield-like plate on its back.
Is it the dying that does that?