bivalve

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References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

organizational levels and body diagrams of mollusks

Internal structure of a clam. A ligament hinges the shell's two halves (valves) open, and the beating motion of cilia on the gills causes water to enter through the incurrent siphon. As water moves over the gills, oxygen diffuses into the blood, and food particles become trapped in mucus and are moved to the mouth. A pair of adductor muscles can hold the shell tightly closed. A fold of tissue (mantle) encloses the body's organs and releases the material that forms the shell. A large muscular foot allows the clam to creep and burrow. The circulatory system consists of a heart and blood vessels, and kidneys remove wastes from the blood. Deoxygenated blood and wastes are removed in the water that exits through the excurrent siphon.

For Students

bivalve summary

Discover

Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.

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Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

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Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017

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Thanksgiving Turkey with all the sides

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

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Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)

8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

bivalve: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Bivalvia • Pelecypoda • Acephala • Lamellibranchiata

Photos

organizational levels and body diagrams of mollusks

Internal structure of a clam. A ligament hinges the shell's two halves (valves) open, and the beating motion of cilia on the gills causes water to enter through the incurrent siphon. As water moves over the gills, oxygen diffuses into the blood, and food particles become trapped in mucus and are moved to the mouth. A pair of adductor muscles can hold the shell tightly closed. A fold of tissue (mantle) encloses the body's organs and releases the material that forms the shell. A large muscular foot allows the clam to creep and burrow. The circulatory system consists of a heart and blood vessels, and kidneys remove wastes from the blood. Deoxygenated blood and wastes are removed in the water that exits through the excurrent siphon.

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Topics

clam oyster mussel Gryphaea Nuculana Venericardia Inoceramus Monopleura Glans Byssonychia gastropod cephalopod chiton monoplacophoran tusk shell nephridium trochophore radula

Quiz

vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.

Animal Factoids

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

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Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

Lion (panthera leo)

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