The second most diverse group of molluscs behind gastropods, bivalves are easily recognized by their two-halved shell. They can burrow into the sediment or live on the ocean floor. Some can even move around through the water by snapping their shell open and shut to swim. In most bivalves, the pallial cavity contains a pair of very large gills that are used to capture food particles suspended in the inhalant water current. The food is bound in mucus that is carried by cilia along food grooves on the edges of the gills to the mouth region. Bivalves are hermaphroditic or have separate sexes.
Clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, shipworms
Scientific name: Bivalvia
Higher classification: Molluscs
Rank: Class
Higher classification: Molluscs
Rank: Class