Tiny Cockle Shells

Mostly tiny cockle shells washed up on the strandline at Swansea Bay

Millions of tiny juvenile cockle shells have been washed ashore at Swansea Bay in August this year (2018). At least, that is what I think they are. I may be wrong because I have never seen such small cockle shells before. Most were under 1 centimetre in length, many less than 5 mm. It may be a common occurrence since most young invertebrates do not survive from each generation. Also, lots of them were coloured or had intricate zig-zag patterns which I have never observed before. Perhaps they are something else?

Tiny cockles en masse washing ashore — Tiny Cockles Context Shot – Mostly tiny cockle shells washed up on the strandline *en masse* with seafoam at Swansea Bay August 2018

Tiny cockle shells on a scale bar — Tiny Cockles 13 – Tiny juvenile cockle shells (*Cerastoderma edule*?) from the beach at Swansea Bay in South Wales on a scale bar to show size.

4 Replies to “Tiny Cockle Shells”

Jo Woolf says:

August 25, 2018 at 8:38 am

How strange! I wonder what has caused it! I’ve never seen those patterns before, either.

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winderjssc says:

August 25, 2018 at 9:08 am

Thank you, Jo. I believe that young cockles can have differently coloured shells and markings on them but I have never noticed it before. The original small shell would be incorporated into the adult shell at the hinge end. I have not seen these markings surviving on adult shells either. It crossed my mind that maybe these were not C. edule but something else.

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Emma Cownie says:

August 26, 2018 at 8:51 am

Those are tiny!

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winderjssc says:

August 26, 2018 at 9:16 am

Teeny tiny.

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