Scallops
By John Monahan
Scallops are marine mollusks
of the family Pectinadae.
They are bivalve which means
they have two shells hinged
together that open and close.
The name scallop is
used to describe its
rigid shell pattern
and the fanned
shape of the shell
Physical Characteristics
• Bivalve
• Contains an adductor muscle
• Active Swimmers
Scallops are cosmopolitan.
Eighty percent of the world’s
scallops are off the coast of
China. Most are free swimming
but others attach themselves to
hard substrate by cementing
themselves.
Most scallops live on
the rocky bottom in
salt water
Scallops filter feed. They eat
mostly plankton. They grow up
to 5 inches in size and can live
up to 20 years. They are
plankton when they are first
born and then sink to the
bottom as they get bigger.
Predators
•
•
•
•
•
Lobsters
Crabs
Fish
Sea stars
Humans
Scallops reproduce when
spermatozoa and ova are
released freely into the
water during mating
season. Scallops can be
male female or both.
Some switch as they
grow. Their age can be
found by the amount of
rings of their shell.