Scallops and Clams

[deckardcanine]

The scallop and clam are both bivalves and easy
To tell from an oyster or mussel
But harder to tell from each other, and so
I read websites for solving the puzzle.

The edge of a scallop’s distinctively ribboned
All over the lips of its shell.
A clam’s edge is usually smooth and quite rounded.
This makes the most obvious tell.

Inside, you can find that a scallop has eyes
With a mirror instead of a lens.
A clam has no eyes, ears, or nose; I’m amazed
At the senses on which it depends.

A clam has a lengthy and muscular foot
Meant for moving or digging in sand.
The foot of a scallop is underdeveloped,
Since swimming is more of its brand.

A clam tends to live where the land meets the sea,
Hence the digging to counter the waves.
A scallop lives hundreds of feet underwater,
Conducive to how it behaves.

On average, scallops are larger than clams
But unlikely to live for so long.
Clams also observe longer seasons for spawning.
(Your image of that may be wrong.)

The other distinctions are found via eating,
In texture, nutrition, and taste.
I’ll let you decide which you’d rather consume.
Now I hope that my rhymes weren’t a waste.