• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Mollusca
  • Class: Bivalvia
  • Order: Pectinoida
  • Family: Pectinidae
  • Scientific name: Pecten maximus
  • Norwegian: kamskjell

Characteristics:

The great scallop has a thick and solid shell. The left (bottom) valve is flat while the right (top) valve is clearly convex. Approximately 15-17 ridges radiate from the dorsal margin. The color is grey or light brown, sometimes with tints of yellow, orange or red. It can reach a diameter of 17 cm. Small individuals may be confused with the Icelandic scallop.

Habitat:

The great scallop is usually seen partly buried in sand, on depths ranging from 5 to 150 meters. It is most frequent out on the coast, outside the fjords, on locations where the sand is not too muddy.

Distribution:

It is most frequent in the North sea, but is registered from Troms, Norway in the north to the Atlantic coasts of Spain in the south.