Cerastoderma edule (Common Cockle)
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Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Family: Cardiidae
C.edule is a very common bivalve that exists in vast numbers around the Essex coastline and is easily recognised with its shell having prominent ribs and growth lines. The outside of the shell is an off-white with the inside being white. C.edule lives in soft sand, sand and gravel or muddy bottoms of estuaries burrowing to about 5cm from the surface. C.edule is a suspension feeder and gathers its food by filtering the water to capture plankton. Huge numbers of empty shells can be found on most beaches left as evidence of predation. Commercially fished this species is under threat of overexploitation.
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