Swimming scallop
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Latin Name: Chlamys rubida and Chlamys hastata
Geographic Range: Range is from Alaska to California.
SCUBA Divers Info:
Unlike many bivalves the Swimming scallop is not attached to the bottom and can actually swim after a fashion. By opening and closing the shell it becomes sort of jet propelled. There are two species in B.C. but it is next to impossible for divers to tell one from the other since the shell spines are the main clue and these are almost always covered with sponge or other marine creatures.
**B**Beachwalkers Info:
This animal does not inhabit the intertidal zone so you are very unlikely to find it beachwalking or tidepooling.
Mollusk Copyright © 1996 Kerry L. Werry