Native oyster
Ostrea edulis Linnaeus, 1758
Status not recordedmolluscs
The native oyster (Ostrea edulis) is a mollusc in the class Bivalvia, order Ostreida and family Ostreidae. Its other English names are Flat oyster, Common oyster, Edible oyster, European oyster and European flat oyster.
Quick facts about the native oyster
The species was named by Linnaeus, 1758, and is placed in the genus Ostrea, subfamily Ostreinae and superfamily Ostreoidea. The Catalogue of Life lists the native oyster as living, not extinct.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the native oyster
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the native oyster live?
Not recorded
What is the native oyster?
Ostrea edulis, commonly known as the European flat oyster, is a species of oyster native to Europe. In Great Britain and Ireland, localized 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.
The fossil record of this species dates back to the Miocene (age range: 15.97 million years ago to present day). Fossils have been found in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Egypt, Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, France and Germany.
From the Wikipedia article “Ostrea edulis” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ostrea_edulis&oldid=1361169475), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the native oyster endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the native oyster classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumMollusca
- classBivalvia
- orderOstreida
- familyOstreidae
- genusOstrea
- SpeciesOstrea edulis Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Monoeciostrea europa, Ostrea adriatica, Ostrea boblayei, Ostrea corbuloides, Ostrea cristata, Ostrea cumana, Ostrea cyrnusii, Ostrea depressa, Ostrea edulis var. crassa, Ostrea edulis var. obtusa, Ostrea edulis var. purpurea, Ostrea edulis var. rutupina, Ostrea edulis var. tarentina, Ostrea edulis var. tincta, Ostrea edulis var. venetiana, Ostrea exalbida, Ostrea hippopus, Ostrea lamellosa, Ostrea leonica, Ostrea parasitica, Ostrea rostralis, Ostrea rostrata, Ostrea rostrata, Ostrea saxatilis, Ostrea scaeva, Ostrea striatum, Ostrea sublamellosa, Ostrea taurica, Ostrea taurica, Ostrea vulgare
Other names and names in other languages (59)
- Common oysterEnglish
- Edible oysterEnglish
- European flat oysterEnglish
- European oysterEnglish
- Flat oysterEnglish
- محار أصليArabic
- محار مسطح أوروبيArabic
- OstraCatalan
- ostra comunaCatalan
- ústřice jedláCzech
- WystrysenWelsh
- østersDanish
- Europæisk østersDanish
- essbare AusterGerman
- Europäische AusterGerman
- Gemeine AusterGerman
- ΣτρείδιGreek
- Κοινό ΣτρείδιGreek
- ostra comúnSpanish
- ostra europeaSpanish
- belonFrench
- huître comestibleFrench
- huître plateFrench
- huître plate européenneFrench
- pied de chevalFrench
- KamenicaCroatian
- éti osztrigaHungarian
- ostrica comuneItalian
- Ostrica piattaItalian
- ヨーロッパヒラガキJapanese
- paprastoji austrėLithuanian
- østersNorwegian Bokmål
- oesterDutch
- eetbare oesterDutch
- Europese platte oesterDutch
- Gewone oesterDutch
- platte oesterDutch
- Zeeuwse oesterDutch
- østersNorwegian Nynorsk
- østersNorwegian
- Ostra-plana-europeiaPortuguese
- stridie europeanăRomanian
- Съедобная устрицаRussian
- европейская устрицаRussian
- устрица съедобнаяRussian
- Европейская плоская устрицаRussian
- osttarNorthern Sami
- ustrica jedláSlovak
- ostrigaSlovenian
- navadna ostrigaSlovenian
- gurcaAlbanian
- gurrcaAlbanian
- midhja e gurtëAlbanian
- stridheAlbanian
- ostronSwedish
- europeiskt ostronSwedish
- istiridyeTurkish
- Устриця їстівнаUkrainian
- Устриця звичайнаUkrainian
Relatives of the native oyster
Other species in the same genus Ostrea.
Olympia oyster
Ostrea conchaphila
Horse oyster
Ostrea equestris
Olympia oyster
Ostrea lurida
Mud oyster
Ostrea angasi
Bluff oyster
Ostrea chilensis
Lamellated oyster
Ostrea denselamellosa
CompareNative oyster vs Olympia oysterNative oyster vs Horse oysterNative oyster vs Olympia oysterNative oyster vs Mud oyster
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the native oyster?
The native oyster is a mollusc in the class Bivalvia and the family Ostreidae.
What is the scientific name of the native oyster?
The scientific name of the native oyster is Ostrea edulis, in the genus Ostrea.
Who named Ostrea edulis and when?
Ostrea edulis was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
What other names does the native oyster have?
The native oyster is also called the Flat oyster, Common oyster, Edible oyster, European oyster and European flat oyster.
Is the native oyster extinct?
No. The Catalogue of Life lists the native oyster as living, not extinct.
What order does the native oyster belong to?
The native oyster belongs to the order Ostreida, within the superfamily Ostreoidea.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Native oyster (Ostrea edulis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/native-oyster
“Native oyster (Ostrea edulis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/native-oyster.
@misc{native_oyster_2026,
title = {Native oyster (Ostrea edulis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/native-oyster},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}