#4599 · 🐌 snails, slugs & other molluscs
European Flat Oyster
🇳🇱 Gewone oester ·Ostrea edulis
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © jm_brenes · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Sylvain Le Bris · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © nje171 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Christine Morrow · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Yves Bas · CC BY 4.0
- 6. © tbarbaro · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. © tprario · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © John Shamgochian · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. © John Shamgochian · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. © Oscar Briz Sánchez · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Ostrea edulis , commonly known as the European flat oyster , is a species of oyster native to Europe. In the British Isles, regional names include Colchester native oyster , mud oyster , or edible oyster . In France, Ostrea edulis are known as huîtres plates (flat oysters) except for those that come from the Belon River estuary in Brittany, France, which are known as Belons .
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 138 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #31 most seen of the snails, slugs & other molluscs in NL.
- 5,786 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- European Flat Oyster
- Nederlands
- Gewone oester
- scientific name
- Ostrea edulis
- class
- Bivalvia
- order
- Ostreida
- family
- Ostreidae
- sightings in NL
- 138
- sightings in Europe
- 2,779
- sightings worldwide
- 5,786
- GBIF records in NL
- 7,026
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Ostreidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 53462, Wikidata Q729678, GBIF 2286060, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.