Animal Profiles
Molluscs

Oyster

Ostreidae

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

Oysters include many reef-forming bivalves. This account follows the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), whose clustered shells provide habitat in western Atlantic coastal waters.

Crassostrea virginica, the representative described in this account.

Crassostrea virginica, the representative described in this account.

Jud McCranie · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Location
Eastern oysters inhabit coastal waters and estuaries along eastern North America and nearby western Atlantic regions.
Habitat
Coast
Diet
Filter feeder
Food
Water flowing across the gills supplies phytoplankton and other suspended food.

Classification

Common name
Oyster
Browse group
Molluscs
Scientific name or taxon
Ostreidae
Taxon rank
family
Order
Ostreida
Family
Ostreidae
Source classification
Bivalvia

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • It is a bivalve mollusc.
  • Adults grow attached in beds.
  • Suspended plankton provides food.

Habitat and range

Eastern oysters inhabit coastal waters and estuaries along eastern North America and nearby western Atlantic regions. Many individuals grow together in beds or reeflike formations.

Appearance and adaptations

The irregular shell has a rough exterior and a pale interior. Its exact shape varies with the surface and neighbours against which the animal grows.

Diet and behaviour

Water flowing across the gills supplies phytoplankton and other suspended food. A settled oyster stays attached rather than chasing prey, linking its feeding to the surrounding currents.

Sources

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