How Scallops Swim.Scallops are usually found resting on the seafloor. Unlike most other bivalves, Sc
How Scallops Swim.Scallops are usually found resting on the seafloor. Unlike most other bivalves, Scallops have 60 - 100 eyes along their sensory tentacles within the shell. These eyes are not particularly well developed and can only sense shadows and movements, however this gives it a competitive edge allowing it to escape predators such as crabs, sea snails and sea stars.On sensing a threat, the single adductor muscle is used to clamp the shell together and then open rapidly allowing water into the shell. This water is then forcibly squirted out behind the scallop in two jets from its ears, propelling it through the water. The scallop’s ability to swim can be linked to the fact it has valves of different shapes, with the right valve flat and the left convex, it forms a hydrofoil allowing it to glide through the water and obtain lift. Its shell is also thin whilst being ribbed, allowing it to maintain protection from predators while keeping it’s weight down.~SA(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Argopecten_irradians.jpg)(Attributed: By Rachael Norris and Marina Freudzon / Mayscallop at en.wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons) -- source link
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