The scallop, one of the most-eyed creatures on the planet, cannot see. Though a single scallop can possess more than 100 blue eyes, the eyes are virtually useless in terms of actual vision.

Early Warning System. The scallop eyes work as a light and motion detector. If an object moves with the speed of one of the scallop's predators ~ like starfish or whelks ~ the scallop shuts immediately, protecting itself. Is image formation in the scallop eye good enough for shape sensitivity? The scallop isn't talking.

How Effective Is the System? Predators report that, if they cast a shadow over a collection of scallops attached to the bottom, the scallops often pull up their anchors and swim away en masse.

What's That In Your Eye? A lens and a retina attached to a branch of the optic nerve. Behind the retina is a reflective layer ~ a mirror ~ that bounces light back to the retina, enhancing the signal. It makes an image on light-sensitive cells in the middle of the scallop's eye. The eyes work together to alert the animal to changes in light and motion.

Old Blue Eyes. The mirror causes each eye to glow like a tiny green or blue pearl.

False Teeth of the Sea. Scallops move by flapping their two shells together. It's not fast, and they don't travel far. But it does make the scallops like sets of fleeing clacking false teeth.

Word on the Reef. A bi·valve is a mollusk has a shell consisting of two hinged valves. A mollusk is a marine invertebrates ~ it has no bones ~ which typically has a soft unsegmented body, a mantle, and a protective shell.

Link for More.

How many eyes can a creature have?

Eye works.

Staring into scallop eyes.

Sea scallop picture scramble

Gaping scallops.