Wild Harris
Cockle
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Cockle Cockles are molluscs with 2 hinged shells, called bivalves. Unlike mussels, which attach themselves to rocks, cockles burrow down into the soft sediment. When the tide is in they extend two long tubes (syphons) to the surface where they draw in water from one and exhale it from the other. Inside the cockle the water is sieved to remove food particles, and also provides the animal with oxygen.
Cockles (Photo: Paul Tyler)
Cockles on the beach at Luskentyre. These shellfish are normally buried just below the surface.
by Paul Tyler
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Link to Soft Seabed Animals