The Scallop, Queen of Conchology

A dazzling display of this colorful shell, including its use in art, religion, heraldry, and at the table.

No other group of mollusks is better represented in so many and diverse fields of human endeavor than scallops. For thousands of years humans have used these bivalves as food, but the balance and symmetry of their shells also enticed humans from many cultures to use them as ornaments adorning objects ranging from silverware to furniture, and as symbols in heraldry and religion. This exhibit also provides rich information about their biology, biodiversity, and lists commercially used species from all over the world.