Scallop
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Ostreoida
Suborder:	Pectinina
Superfamily:	Pectinoidea
Family:	Pectinidae Rafinesque, 1815

Argopecten irradians, the Atlantic Bay scallop

Macro photo of a scallop showing some of its 110+ bright blue eyes

A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusc of the family Pectinidae. Scallops live in all the world's oceans.

This is one of the largest families of living bivalves. There are over 300 living species of scallop. Their main adaptation is the ability to swim by clapping their valves together. In this way they escape from most of their predators.

They have a good reputation as a food source. As bivalves they have one hinged shell; each half is known as a valve. The lower valve is usually white (about 95%). It can also be orange (4%) or Lemon Yellow (1%).