Abalone shells are rounded or oval with a large dome towards one end. The Abalone shell has a row of respiratory pores. The Abalone muscular foot has strong suction power permitting the abalone to clamp tightly to rocky surfaces. An epipodium, a sensory structure and extension of the Abalone foot that bears tentacles, circles the Abalone foot and projects beyond the Abalone shell edge in the living abalone. Nine species of abalone occur in North America: black, flat, green, pink, pinto, red, threaded, Western Atlantic, and white abalone.