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Project Noah Nature School
Saccostrea glomerata
A large number of oysters seen stuck to sheltered side of rocks. These are live oysters and have their two valves (shells) closed shut. The flatter shell is the right valve and is shorter of the two. The more concave valve is the ribbed left valve. In this photo, they look like fluted cups with flat lids. These oysters were cemented together and varied in size as can be expected. The larvae settle and grow into adult oysters so there are many in different stages of development all clustered together.
Spotted on sheltered pat of rocks in the intertidal area. This species is found along the east coast of Australia.
This species is endemic to Australia and New Zealand. Rock oysters may change sex half way through their lives. They start off as males and then change to females. They are commercially produced now and the most sought after oyster is the plump female !
They have natural predators like the starfish, rays, crabs and birds like the Australian Pied Oystercatcher.
Family: Ostreidae
Spotted on Dec 27, 2016
Submitted on Jan 9, 2017
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