Hobbies And Interests
Egg
A female sea scallop can lay up to a million eggs over the span of a year, depending on its size. Sea scallop eggs are laid in great numbers. They are tiny, pink and brown, and approximately 64 microns in diameter. The eggs remain on the sea floor before hatching, which occurs several weeks after being laid.
Larva
Sea scallop larvae thrive in the open water. They remain planktonic for one month after hatching, and drift through water currents in large groups. The two larval stages for the sea scallop are trochophore, where they are translucent and free-swimming, and veliger, where the formation of a shell exterior begins. Larvae attach themselves to solid surfaces, away from their predators, so they may continue to develop into adult forms.
Juvenile
Juvenile scallops are between .2 and .5 inches in size, and greatly resemble adult scallops. At this stage of development, scallops leave their original place of settlement, but become much less active, tending to move only when threatened by predators. Juvenile scallops are generally mobile until they are around 3 inches in length.
Adult
Sea scallops reach their adult stage in three to four years. Adult sea scallops have shells approximately 5 to 8 inches in length. At this stage, sea scallops are largely sedentary, and move only when disturbed by predators. Migrating sea scallops move around the water by rapidly opening and closing their valves, moving them approximately 49 inches with each contraction.
Spawning Adult
Sea scallops generally become sexually mature at the age of two. However, the spawning of younger scallops may not be as effective as those over the age of four. Sea scallops spawn externally; the females lay large numbers of eggs on sedimentary surfaces, while the males extrude sperm. In some instances, sea scallops have been found hermaphroditic, and can change their sex.