denise
03-01-2009, 09:23 PM
Scallops are bivalve mollusks, this means they have two hard shells (valves) protecting a soft body. Shells are secreted by the mantle, a thin sheet of tissue located between the shell and the body, and they are connected together by a muscular hinge called the abductor muscle. Each side of the mantle has a row of blue eyes, these are very primitive eyes, that can only sense changes in light and motion.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/scallopspair_1.jpg
Pair of Thistle scallops, Lindapecten exasperatus, at Boynton Ledge
Some species of scallops attach and cement themselves to a substrate by use of bysuss threads. Most however are free-living, and use jet propulsion to move around the place, they rapidly open and close their shell, squirting water out, moving in spurts. This method of locomotion is also a defense technique, protecting it from threatening predators.
All scallops are hermaphrodites, that means they can change sex, and both males and females have a distinctively colored roe depending upon the current sex. Females have red roes, and males have white. Both male and female scallops migrate in large schools through out the year.
http://www.dayo.com/images/scallopgibby_1.jpg
Scallop, Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Michael Gibby (aka Jahjahwarrior)
Scallops filter seawater through their shells, and eat the microscopic food, like algae and plankton, they strain out of the water. In turn scallops are eaten by crabs, sea stars and humans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source.
Most scallops have a life span of about 18 months, but some can live to be more than 18 years old! Similar to tree rings, a scallop’s age can be determined by the annuli, i.e. the rings across their shells. They are generally bottom dwelling animals; found amongst seagrass beds and coral reefs. The 400 or so species are very cosmopolitan, found in all of the world's oceans. More than 5 species are found in Floridian waters.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/4/5/1/scallopsrobert_1.jpg
Scallop, Jupiter Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer
http://www.scubadiver.cc/fishid/scallopspair_1.jpg
Pair of Thistle scallops, Lindapecten exasperatus, at Boynton Ledge
Some species of scallops attach and cement themselves to a substrate by use of bysuss threads. Most however are free-living, and use jet propulsion to move around the place, they rapidly open and close their shell, squirting water out, moving in spurts. This method of locomotion is also a defense technique, protecting it from threatening predators.
All scallops are hermaphrodites, that means they can change sex, and both males and females have a distinctively colored roe depending upon the current sex. Females have red roes, and males have white. Both male and female scallops migrate in large schools through out the year.
http://www.dayo.com/images/scallopgibby_1.jpg
Scallop, Blue Heron Bridge
Photo by Michael Gibby (aka Jahjahwarrior)
Scallops filter seawater through their shells, and eat the microscopic food, like algae and plankton, they strain out of the water. In turn scallops are eaten by crabs, sea stars and humans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source.
Most scallops have a life span of about 18 months, but some can live to be more than 18 years old! Similar to tree rings, a scallop’s age can be determined by the annuli, i.e. the rings across their shells. They are generally bottom dwelling animals; found amongst seagrass beds and coral reefs. The 400 or so species are very cosmopolitan, found in all of the world's oceans. More than 5 species are found in Floridian waters.
http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/gallery/files/4/5/1/scallopsrobert_1.jpg
Scallop, Jupiter Beach
Photo by Robert Palmer