Cerastoderma edule

Also known as Common cockle, Cardium edulis

species of edible saltwater clam

Species

common cockle

SPECIES

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassBivalvia
OrderCardiida
FamilyCardiidae

Habitatmarine

Observations5,961

Observations recorded103,617

Cockles are easy to recognize with their thick ribbed shells. The beach is usually strewn with loose shell halves. They filter plankton out of the water for food, using two siphons. By sticking these siphons out of the sand, they come in contact with the water. A cockle can filter a half liter of water per hour. All together, it takes only a few weeks for the cockles in the mudflats to filter the entire Wadden Sea. Shorebirds and eiders are very fond of cockles, as are some people.

via GBIF

Wikidata facts

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Article

The common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles. It is found in waters off Europe, from Iceland in the north, south into waters off western Africa as far south as Senegal. The ribbed oval shells can reach 6 centimetres (2.4 in) across and are white, yellowish or brown in colour. The common cockle is harvested commercially and eaten in much of its range.

Taxonomy and naming