We get it okay, the ocean is frankly one of the
What are scallops?
Scallops are marine bivalve mollusks, usually of the family Pectinidae, which includes around 50 genera and subgenera and more than 400 species, according to
What do scallops look like?
The shell of a scallop consists of two parts, typically in a fan shape with a hinge and two wings on either side. These shells can be rough or smooth and often wash up on the beach in a range of colors.
The animal lives inside the shell. The body of the scallop inside the shell consists of a white adductor muscle and a bright orange section called the coral. While both sections are edible, it’s the white muscle that is typically served in restaurants.
Scallops also have around
Similar to other bivalves like mussels, which glue themselves to rocks in one place, some scallops prefer to remain on the sea bed or bury themselves in the sand. However, scallops can swim through the water quite quickly by snapping their top and bottom shells together, to escape from predators like fish and sea turtles.
What do scallops eat?
Scallops are filter feeders that sift phytoplankton, algae, and small organisms out of the water column.
Where do scallops live?
Scallop species are found all over the world but only in saltwater. Their location differs by species. For example, the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is found at depths of 30 to 91 meters (100 to 300 feet) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, according to the
The largest scallop species are weathervane scallops (Patinopecten caurinus), which can grow to 30 centimeters (11 inches) in diameter, and can be found in sand and gravel habitats from northern Alaska to California, writes
How do scallops reproduce?
Female sea scallops can produce hundreds of millions of eggs in one year, which are released into the water column to be fertilized. Some scallops, including the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), are both male and female and capable of producing both eggs and sperm.