Sea scallops are relatively simple animals, at least when you consider their basic morphological blueprint. There’s an upper and lower shell, or “valve,” connected by a small hinge, with an adductor muscle inside acting as the open-and-close mechanism.
Researchers have long understood that a scallop’s valve angle, or the degree to which its shell opens and closes, directly affects its biological functions. It modulates how much water flows in and out of the body cavity, which is tied to feeding and respiration. It also controls what a scallop can see with its 200 or so beady blue eyes.
