About Scutellastra cochlear (Born, 1778)
Scutellastra cochlear (Born, 1778) has a distinctive pear-shaped shell. It is a slow-growing species that can live up to 25 years, and reaches a maximum length of 70 millimetres (2.8 in). The outer surface of its shell is often encrusted with coralline algae. The inner shell surface is white with a bluish tinge, sometimes speckled with black patches, and marked by a black, U-shaped muscle scar. This species is native to the exposed coasts of South Africa, where it forms dense colonies on rocks in the lower shore zone. Its range extends south from the mouth of the Orange River in western South Africa, around the three Cape Provinces, and north to Durban on the east coast.
