Sea bivalves found in every ocean but never in fresh water. Unlike most bivalves, many are free-living and swim in short bursts, clapping their shells to jet away from predators such as starfish. A ring of tiny eyes lines the edge of the body inside the shell.
Quick answers
What is it?Mollusc
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
Highly prized as seafood, and some species are farmed; the part usually sold as "scallop" is the big adductor muscle.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatCoast, Open ocean
ColoursWhite, Orange, Pink
SizeTiny
LegsNone
Covered inShell
Lives ingroups
Lives for10–20 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- All the world's oceans; never in fresh water.
- What it eats
- Plankton, filtered from the water.
Did you know
Has up to 200 tiny mirror-backed eyes around its shell, and swims by clapping.
Its eyes focus light with curved mirrors made of guanine crystals instead of a lens.
Young scallops drift in the plankton, then settle and often anchor themselves with a thread.
Often confused with
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