How do oysters attach to a reef?
Oysters literally glue themselves to aquatic reefs, adding themselves to a community of thousands of other oysters, by excreting cement from a kind of foot.Oyster ReefsThe Maryland Department of Natural Resources defines an oyster reef as a three-dimensional aquatic structure made of generations of oysters attached to each other.Oyster AnatomyThe newborn oyster has a foot somewhat similar to the foot of a clam, according to the Big Site of Amazing Facts, but this foot disappears once the oyster has used it to locate a reef.AttachmentOysters locate their reef home practically from birth. Within a few hours of conception, oyster larvae develop a shell and use their foot as a probe to find a suitable attachment point on a reef.Foot “Cement”The foot of an oyster can excrete a kind of cement, allowing the oyster to latch onto the reef surface as its new home, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.PermanenceOnce an oyster cements itself to a reef, it remains there for life unless predators d
