Common cockle  (Cerastoderma edule)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Range

This cockle has a wide distribution around the coastline of Britain. Elsewhere, its range extends from the western Barents Sea and Norway in the north, to Spain and Portugal, and reaches as far south as Senegal in west Africa (2).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Habitat

Inhabits the middle and lower shore, where it burrows into soft sand, mud and muddy gravel to depths of less than 5 cm (2). It is often found in huge numbers in estuaries and other sheltered inlets (3).

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