Cockles

Name Variations

 * common cockle

About Cockles
The common cockle is a species of edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Cardiidae, the cockles.

This species is found in coastal areas of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is widely distributed from Norway to the coast of west Africa.

The common cockle is one of the most abundant species of molluscs in tidal flats in the bays and estuaries of Europe. It is an important species for the fishing industry, and it plays a major role as a source of food for crustaceans, fish, and wading birds. It is commercially fished in the Netherlands and the British Isles. It is also used in aquaculture, farming of cockles is ongoing in Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal.

This cockle is cooked and eaten in several countries (including France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom).

Cockels represent a family of bivalve mollusks, scientifically known as the Cardiidae family, and the family of cockles is member of the Cardiacea superfamily of the Veneroida order. The cockles have round-shaped shells which appear to be quite fragile. The bivalve shell is symmetrical and it has the form of a heart and it presents powerfully marked ribs. The layer has three openings: two for breathing (inhaling and exhaling) and one for moving. The first two holes are for siphoning water and the third for the foot to stick out. Cockles usually move by using the foot and feed by draw off or drawing in water, filtering plankton from it. They are as well able to leap by bending and straightening the foot. Different from most bivalves, cockles are hermaphroditic meaning that they are primarily men becoming afterwards females. They also have the ability of reproducing quite fast. There are numerous species of cockles such as Queen Cockles, prickly cockles and common cockles.