May 12
Uncharismatic Fact of the Day
Need a light? Ask for a lampshell! Also known as toenail shells, these shelled filter-feeders are not clams or mollusks, but belong to a phylum all their own called Brachiopoda. This group is one of the oldest on the planet, having survived roughly unchanged since the Cambrian period. Unlike bivalves, they have an asymmetrical top and bottom shell; the top is said to resemble an oil lamp, and the long 'foot', or pedicle, resembles a wick!
(Image: A Northern Pacific lampshell (Terebratulina septentrionalis) by Alex Shure)