Many people have eaten scallops. This seafood, also known as yuanbei and sea fan, is widely distributed in all seas of the world. In fact, scallops not only taste delicious, but also have an interesting ability - it is the only species of shellfish that migrates, and it is also known as "pilgrim mussels" in Europe.
Most bivalves—what we often call "shells"—don't move much. For example, flower clams can move, but they are very slow, and they only burrow into the sediment when they encounter danger; while oysters and the like cannot move at all, and when they encounter predators, they can only pray that the shell is thick enough. But scallops are different, they can swim.
The reason why scallops differ from other molluscs is that their closed shell muscles account for a large proportion of the body. This part is actually very familiar to us, it is the white cylindrical meat in the middle of the scallops, called dried scallops, and the dried goods are Yaozhu. It belongs to one of the "Eight Treasures of the Sea" and has the reputation of "Seafood Excellence". The taste is very delicious.
This closed shell muscle is the source of scallop swimming power. Most bivalves have small closed-shell muscles and have two. For example, if you open a flower clam, you will find that in addition to the large piece of meat in the central part, there is also a small white very strong soft cylinder on each side, which is difficult to pull off when stuck to the shell, which is its closed shell muscle. It's so small because it's not a heavy task — it just needs to be pulled when it's about to close its shell. The shell of the clam is smooth, the joint of the two shells is tightly sewn, and the general predator has no screwdriver, and it is difficult to forcibly open the two shells, so the strength requirements of the closed shell muscle are not high.
Scallops have a different idea. One of its closed-shell muscles degenerates, and the other becomes enormous enough to give it the power to swim. In addition, its shape is also very suitable for swimming: the shell is very flat and almost symmetrical to the left and right, the edges of the shell are rounded, and the joint of the two shells is very flexible. Therefore, as long as the scallop quickly opens the shell, absorbs water from the front, and then covers the front opening with the margin membrane, and then strives to close the shell and spray the water from the rear, it can use the reaction force to push itself forward and achieve swimming.
Scallops swim primarily to avoid predators such as starfish, but this level of swimming is really weak compared to other creatures in the ocean. Scallops swim at a height of no more than one meter, speeds do not exceed half a meter per second, swim a maximum of five or six meters at a time and fall back to the bottom of the sea exhaustedly, and then need to rest for several hours to fully recover.
That's all for the interesting facts about scallop swimming. Do you have any other swimming fun facts about marine life that you share with us? Welcome to leave a comment interactive. Follow the public account pool and share information about swimming and swimming pool with you.