Description
Pteria penguin/Penguin’s Wing Oyster.
Pteria penguin, commonly known as the penguin’s wing oyster, is a species of marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pteriidae, the pearl oysters. It is native to the western and central Indo-Pacific region and is used for the production of cultured pearls. The generic name comes from Greek πτερον (pteron) meaning wing.
Pteria penguin can reach a common shell length of about 20 cm (7.9 in), with a maximum length of 30 cm (12 in). The shells of this rather large species are solid and ovate. The posterior ear develops a narrow, elongated, wing-like expansion. The left valve is more inflated than the right one. The outside color of the shell ranges from dark brown to black, while the interior is nacreous silvery, a wide non-nacreous glossy black margin.
A bivalve shell is part of the body, the exoskeleton or shell, of a bivalve mollusk. In life, the shell of this class of mollusks is composed of two hinged parts or valves.The shell of a bivalve/clam is made up of three layers: the horny outer layer, middle layer called the prismatic layer, and the innermost layer called the pearly layer.
Notes:
1)The outer layer of this particular shells is very thin and fragile, and as such, it has uneven (cracked-like) edges.
2)These rough uneven edges are not manmade, but reflects nature’s imperfections perfectly.
