Photo by Pete Haaker

White abalone are large sea snails that are primarily found in deep water off the Coast of Southern California. Between 25 to 50% of the species are considered to be hybrids and can be identified by an orange colored band that is ingrained around the exterior part of the shell. Historically, they have experienced difficulty in reproducing due to their low density and small population, which has resulted in them being placed on the Federal Endangered Species list.

White Abalone
(Haliotis sorenseni)

	Range from Point Conception, southern California to Guadalupe Island, Mexico
	Deep water, rocky reefs where elk kelp and other macro-algae can be found.
	Macro-algae
The status of this species is representative of the populations within the waters of this Sanctuary only, not global populations.
	White abalones were the first marine invertebrate to be listed as an endangered species.
	- Center for Biological Diversity - Abalone.net