Scallops are fan-shaped bivalves with a pleasing geometric shape, and they are found in all the world's oceans. Most are free-living, active swimmers using jet propulsion to move, but some attach to structures and others bury themselves in the sand using an extensible foot.

Scallops have up to 100 eyes around the edge of their mantles. These respond to light and dark allowing them to detect changing patterns of light and motion and thus moving objects. Scallops feed on plankton using a filter mechanism and are themselves predated upon by starfish, crabs, lobsters and fish.

Did you know?
The word "scallop" is derived from the old French "escalope" meaning "shell".

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