mollusc of the year

March 23, 2023 11:07 AM

The Chilean Abalone is "International Mollusc of the Year 2023" [see the nominees]
posted by dhruva (13 comments total)

The governing committee wisely reconsidered their original plan to finish the award plaque in mother-of-pearl.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:17 AM on March 23, 2023 [6 favorites]

Ok so that nominees link is absolutely mind bending. I learned that there are 30cm (uh about 12 inch) oysters that live....

FIVE HUNDRED (500)

...years.
posted by flamewise at 11:35 AM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Godammit! *tears up parlay sheet*
posted by slogger at 11:38 AM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]

I voted #1 Quidnunc Kid
posted by briank at 12:30 PM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]

COME BACK USER 80649
posted by lalochezia at 12:50 PM on March 23, 2023 [5 favorites]

I voted #1 Quidnunc Kid

More like Squidnunc, amirite?
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 12:52 PM on March 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

There’s a molluscan media moment and Dan the Clam Man is on it
posted by clew at 1:19 PM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

Oddly my employer has blocked all of Germany, but I'm hoping that everyone's favorite tunicate, Pyura chilensis, is discussed in this article.
posted by 1adam12 at 1:34 PM on March 23, 2023

I knew Maryland has a State Crustacean (the Blue crab of Chesapeake Bay) but this is the first I've heard of official mollusks. Drilling down, however, I see that fifteen US States have State Shells.
posted by Rash at 2:09 PM on March 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Slugs are mollusks! That leopard slug is very pretty; they all are. Yay mysteries of the intertidal zone!
Also yay for stealing poisonous bits from lunch to adorn oneself and become furtherer (?) poisonous.
posted by winesong at 2:37 PM on March 23, 2023

Locos, as we call them, have a delicacy status in Chile, not least because they're often placed on the 'forbidden' list (we call it 'en veda', not sure what the exact translation is) of seafood you can't buy, because its stocks get depleted. So when a restaurant does have them, they let you know enthusiastically.
I'm not that much of a fan of them as food. I am a fan of them as molluscs, so yay!
posted by signal at 2:49 PM on March 23, 2023 [3 favorites]

And how does it taste?
posted by Capt. Renault at 3:16 PM on March 23, 2023

Did they find it in the sandy ground? Does it emulate the ocean's sound?
posted by Strange Interlude at 3:19 PM on March 23, 2023 [2 favorites]