The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a true oyster species native to the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico coast of North America. It is a bivalve mollusk with a hard calcium-carbonaceous shell that protects it from predators. Like other members of the same family, they can also make small pearls to surround particles that enter the shell. The pearls are insignificant in size and have no value. Like coral reef the Eastern Oyster’s oyster bed provides a habitat for a variety of species. As a filter feeder the Eastern Oyster sucks in water to filter out plankton and detritus to swallow; it then spits the water back out.
Eastern Oysters have a length between 3”-8” (7.6-20.3 cm), width from 1.77”-4.92” (4.5-12.5 cm), height of 9.5”-2.6” (2.4-6.6 cm), and weight in the range of .88-1.98 lb (.4-.9 kg). The typical lifespan of the Eastern Oyster is 10-20 years.
The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a true oyster species native to the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico coast of North America. It is a bivalve mollusk with a hard calcium-carbonaceous shell that protects it from predators. Like other members of the same family, they can also make small pearls to surround particles that enter the shell. The pearls are insignificant in size and have no value. Like coral reef the Eastern Oyster’s oyster bed provides a habitat for a variety of species. As a filter feeder the Eastern Oyster sucks in water to filter out plankton and detritus to swallow; it then spits the water back out.
Eastern Oysters have a length between 3”-8” (7.6-20.3 cm), width from 1.77”-4.92” (4.5-12.5 cm), height of 9.5”-2.6” (2.4-6.6 cm), and weight in the range of .88-1.98 lb (.4-.9 kg). The typical lifespan of the Eastern Oyster is 10-20 years.