The common cockle was one of the many invertebrate species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given its old binomial name Cardium edule.

[4] In contrast, the similar lagoon cockle has an elongated shell posteriorly, black digestive glands and is found in substrate of stagnant water.

[6][7] The common cockle is one of the most abundant species of molluscs in tidal flats located in the bays and estuaries of Europe.

maculatum Right and left valve: This species is a filter feeder, meaning that it feeds by straining water to obtain suspended matter and food particles.

Lifespan is typically five to six years, though it may perish earlier due to predation by humans as well as crabs, flounder, and various birds especially including oystercatchers.

In lean seasons where cockles did not grow so quickly the crabs may have a greater influence on the population due to their preference for smaller individuals.

[10] A survey of cockle beds in Galicia found that infestation by the gregarine parasite Nematopsis was widespread, and that the most common pathological finding was disseminated neoplasia.

[11] These animals were probably a significant food source in hunter-gatherer societies of prehistoric Europe, and the clay remains of shell-imprints have been found.

The clay is imprinted with fine decorations, repetitions of the distinct curved ridges, undulating lines and/or edges characteristic to the cockle shell, a natural resource of coastal waters.

Similar measures have been established elsewhere, for example in Scotland where dredging using vehicles is prohibited, and in parts of England and Wales where only old-fashioned hand-gathering is permitted (using a long plank that is rocked back and forth on the sand).