#11 Oyster
Common Name: Oyster
Description
Description
- White/grey
- About 3 inches in diameter
- They have an exoskeleton
- Oysters have asymmetrical symmetry
- They are filter feeders drawing in water and trapping the edible particles.
- In addition to their gills, oysters can also exchange gases across their mantle.
- They have a small three chambered heart as well as two kidneys which help to filter waste products from their blood.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Mullusca
- Class: Bivalvia
- Order: Ostreoida
- Family: Ostreidae
- Genus: Crassostrea
- Species: C.gigas
Ecology
- Found in the intertidal and subtidal zones, Pacific oysters have separate sexes, but hermaphrodites sometimes occur.
- Oysters have several predators including crabs, starfish, oyster drills and humans.
- Oysters are eaten worldwide and are even farmed exclusively for food.
- However oysters are subject to diseases such as "Dermo" and "MSX", which can cause disease in humans if ingested.
- A group of oysters is commonly called a bed or an oyster reef.
- They reach maturity in one year, and some oysters can even contain live crabs, known as oyster crabs.
- A group of oysters is commonly called a bed or an oyster reef.
- They reach maturity in one year, and some oysters can even contain live crabs, known as oyster crabs.
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