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Blunt gaper

size:

to 8 centimeters

color:

yellowish or white

food:

phytoplankton

enemies:

crabs, shorebirds

reproduction:

sexual

  • Dut: Geknotte gaper
  • Lat: Mya truncata
  • Eng: Blunt gaper, truncated softshell (clam)
  • Ger: Gestutzte Klaffmuschel
  • Dan: Afstumpede sandmusling
print print
Blunt gaper, Ecomare

Blunt gaper

The blunt gaper is closely related to the sand gaper, but is smaller. Compared to the sand gaper, it looks slightly misshaped, as if it got stuck somewhere. The shells are notably truncated at one side. The life-style of the blunt gaper is more or less identical to the sand gaper. You sometimes find fossilize dark gray shells of the blunt gaper on a Dutch beach.

  • Distribution and habitat

    The blunted gaper is found in deeper waters than the sand gaper: down to 70 meters deep. It too lives burrowed into the sea floor. However the blunt gaper is much rarer.