Scallops
Scallops Family Pectinidae
Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae.
In Barnegat Bay and the the near by Atlantic Ocean there are two predominant species of scallops, bay scallops and sea scallops.
Atlantic Bay Scallop Aequipecten irradians
Common in Barnegat Bay the bay scallop reach sexual maturity around age one.
Young scallops attach themselves to eelgrass and other objects by thin threads. They eventually drop to the bottom when grown.
The shell is more lightweight than clams or oysters, for this reason the scallop is one of the few type of bivalve the Northeastern Atlantic region that can actually swim.
Atlantic Sea Scallop Placopecten magellanicus
Placopecten magellanicus is also called Atlantic sea scallop, North American sea scallop, deep-sea scallop or sea scallop.
It is a commercially important bivalve mollusk native to the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
Jingle Shell Anomia simplex
The jingle shell is a bivalve mollusk.
Both valves are paper thin and almost translucent but very strong.
The shiny iridescence of the shell is retained even after death.
