The largest shell in the Mediterranean, now threatened by a disease that has killed most of its population.
The noble pen shell can grow to a metre in length. It stands upright in seagrass meadows with its pointed end in the sand and filters the water. Since 2016 a parasite has killed most pen shells across the Mediterranean, and survivors are now rare and very important.
Threats
A parasitic disease, anchoring, and collecting of living animals and empty shells.
How to help
Never touch or collect a pen shell. If you dive or snorkel, report a living one to scientists through ERA or Nature Trust (Malta), with the place and the date.
Photo: Marino Linić, CC0.
