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Scale-sided Piddock

The Shell Visible
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The shell of the Scale-sided Piddock is in overlapping plates, the rear end of which has groved ridges intended to wear down sand or soft rock to create a burrow for safety.

Scale-sided Piddock (Parapholas californica)   •  Monterey Bay Aquarium internal link   •  886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 November 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:33:45 Wednesday 20 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2304
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Neck Visible
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Normally its neck is out and exposed so that it can gather food. If something were to threaten, it would withdraw back into his burrowed shell.

Scale-sided Piddock (Parapholas californica)   •  Monterey Bay Aquarium internal link   •  886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 November 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:33:51 Wednesday 20 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2305
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Neck Larger Than Opening
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Sometimes, as here, the neck is larger than the opening in the end of its shell. This can provide greater protection when the neck is withdrawn, because the opening is even smaller than normal.

Scale-sided Piddock (Parapholas californica)   •  Monterey Bay Aquarium internal link   •  886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California   •  (Photo posted Saturday 19 November 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:33:55 Wednesday 20 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2306
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