Saint-Jacques Shell Fossil Wall Display

Gigantopecten restitutensis — also known as Saint-Jacques shells — was a species of giant scallop that thrived all over the world during the Early Miocene, from approximately 20 million to 16 million years ago. Like today's scallops, Gigantopecten was a saltwater mollusk that lived mainly on the sea floor, filtering and eating plankton. In addition, fossil scallops — like their living descendants — moved using a form of jet propulsion, clapping their shells together rapidly to expel water out through their rear hinge area.

Gigantopecten had relatively large calcite shells, growing to heights of over five inches (13 cm) with widths topping six inches (15 cm). Because of the considerable size and fragility of Gigantopecten  fossils, their removal from the surrounding rock matrix represents the highest caliber of excavation and preparatory work.