Full Answer
Are clams born with a shell?
No, clams aren't born with shells. They are free-swimming larvae after they hatch, and just prior to metamorphosis they secrete a hard shell. What is the life cycle of a clam? Some clams have life cycles of only one year, while at least one may be over 500 years old.
How big is a clam shell?
Wonderful giant clam shell, in excellent condition, weighing approximately 85 pounds.<br /> Clam shells are of the Tridacna Gigas variety. Several giant clam shells, varying in size from 22 inches to 30 inches. Prices vary according to size. Photo shown depicts one 30 inch clam shell.
How many shells does a clam have?
Clams have two shells which are of equal size and are bridged by two adductor muscles. Their burrowing feet are very powerful. They live in both marine and freshwater environments. In places with abundant salt water, like North America, they burrow into the mud and the water turbidity that is required varies with the location and the species.
Where can I find clam shells?
Where can I find a giant clam shell? Today giant clams are found in shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, and these large clams can grow up to 440lbs in the wild! The clam shell is shown alone and as a planter so that you might see the collosal scale and dimension of this giant shell. Click to see full answer.
What are giant clam shells used for?
The shells are seen as a status symbol and can be used as ornaments, jewelry, tableware and even floor tiling.
Are giant clam shells real?
The giant clams are the members of the clam genus Tridacna that are the largest living bivalve mollusks....Giant clamOrder:CardiidaFamily:CardiidaeGenus:TridacnaSpecies:T. gigas13 more rows
Where is giant clam shell?
Habitat and diet It lays on the ocean floor, living at depth in broken coral or coral sand. Giant Clams are also found near China, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Can you sell giant clam shells?
Unfortunately, my short answer is no. Due to their endangered status in the wild, giant clams are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) Appendix II that regulates the import and export of all products (dead, alive, or shells).
Are giant clam shells illegal?
Giant clams are protected by national legislation in most places where they live—in the waters of the South China Sea, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. International trade of all 12 species is limited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Are giant clams rare?
For examples, many coral reef sites studied by Endangered Species International in Indonesia and the Philippines used to harbor giant clams, however, nowadays encountering a giant clam is very rare.
Do people eat giant clam?
Both the giant clam's mantle tissue and the large muscle that closes the shells are edible and highly prized by people throughout the Pacific and Asia. The shells are taken for decorative purposes. As a result giant clams are heavily harvested and have become rare on many Pacific reefs.
What is the most expensive clam?
"Of all the clams, Geoduck has the cleanest and truest flavor of the sea," says Cimarusti. "I love, love, love them." The extremely phallic-looking clam is native to western Canada and the Pacific Northwest and is the largest — and most expensive — clam, prized by seafood-loving chefs around the world.
What is inside a giant clam?
0:004:31What's Inside A Clam? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipA kind of mollusk that's encased in a shell made of two valves or hinging parts and that shell comesMoreA kind of mollusk that's encased in a shell made of two valves or hinging parts and that shell comes in all different sizes there are small clams like these which are often used for cooking.
How much are giant clams worth?
Giant Clam – 450 Bells.
Do giant clams have pearls in them?
The largest species, known as the gigas giant clam, is the largest mollusk in the world. However, despite their reputations as man-eaters and sea monsters, giant clams are gentle giants capable of producing gorgeous, rare pearls.
How Much Do giant clams sell for?
900 BellsIn fact, we've found this to be one of the quickest and easiest ways to make a little extra cash in the game....Animal Crossing: New Horizons Shell Price Guide.Shell NamePriceGiant Clam900 BellsConch700 BellsScallop Shell600 Bells10 more rows•Nov 8, 2021
Are there giant clams?
Giant clams are among the largest of all mollusks. There are several species of giant clam, the biggest of which can grow to be four feet across and weigh over 600 pounds! Regardless of species, giant clams have two thick, bony shells joined with a flexible ligament hinge.
How can you tell the age of a giant clam shell?
Clams grow in seasons when the water is warm (April-October). You can count the growth rings like you would age a tree. Count the darkest rings, each ring represents 1 year. Now it's your turn!
How do giant clams get so big?
Giant clams achieve their enormous proportions by consuming the sugars and proteins produced by the billions of algae that live in their tissues.
Are giant clams extinct?
VulnerableGiant clam / Conservation status
Where do giant clams live?
This species lives on coral reefs in the Coral Triangle and surrounding areas. It utilizes a combination of feeding strategies and can be very brightly colored and large.
How do giant clams get their energy?
Like most corals, some anemones, and other reef organisms, giant clams utilize a combination of methods to obtain food. The majority of their energy is derived from symbiotic algae living within their cells, providing the clams with excess energy that they make via photosynthesis (the use of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into food/energy). In return, the algae have a safe place to live and receive the nutrients necessary to photosynthesize. The giant clams provides those nutrients by filter feeding small prey from the water above the reef surface, which it siphons through its body. The beautiful, bright colors characteristic of individual giant clams are actually a result of the symbiotic algae.
Is a giant clam a protein?
Though the soft body only accounts for about 10% of the body weight of giant clams, it is nearly pure, healthy protein, and this species has been hunted for at least several centuries. Unfortunately, this hunting has put the species at risk, and conservationists now consider it to be vulnerable to extinction. Recent large-scale aquaculture operations have reduced the pressure on wild populations while allowing for continued human use of this vital protein source (particularly on remote islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans). This species is also a favorite in public and private aquaria. Most individuals currently on display were likely raised in captivity rather than collected from the wild.
Do clams reproduce?
Giant clams reproduce via external fertilization, where eggs and sperm are released into the water column at the same time. However, giant clams are cemented to the reef surface, so they are only able to reproduce with other individuals that are close by. Therefore, individuals of this species are simultaneous hermaphrodites. They produce both eggs and sperm. They are not able to self-fertilize (i.e., an individual’s sperm cannot fertilize its own eggs), but this life history strategy ensures that nearby individuals can always reproduce with each other.
Where was the giant clam shell found?
An extremely rare and large complete giant clam shell (Tridacna Gigas ) found discarded in the river Great Ouse at Water Stratford Buckinghamshire in the late 1930`s and been in the ...
How Much are Giant Clam Shells?
Prices for giant clam shells start at $450 and top out at $7,400 with the average selling for $1,800.
What is the rarest clam shell?
A rare, truly giant clam shell, Tridacna Gigas, one of the largest and finest specimens we have ever seen, retaining both halves. Beautifully patinated from years of having been unde...
How long do clam shells live?
Fossile clam shell (Tridacna Gigas). These giant clam shells can live up to 100 years or more . The giant clam fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its li...
What is a tridacna gigas?
A rare pair of exceptionally large antique giant clam shells ‘Tridacna Gigas’, These are stunning orignal antique pieces with lovely natural patina inside and outside the shells that...
Where is the fossil clam located?
Fossil, Giant Clam 'Tridacna Gigas'. Located in Eindhoven, NL. Fossile clam shell (Tridacna Gigas). These giant clam shells can live up to 100 years or more. The giant clam fastens itself to a spot on a reef, there it sits for the rest of its li...
When were Giant Clam Shells first displayed?
Set of 3, Antique Giant Clam Shells, Pacific, Tridacna Gigas, Display circa 1900. A vintage Giant Clam shell from the South Pacific Ocean displayed with and including various ocean corals, shell's and a Starfish. All hand picked for their beauty.
What are giant clams known for?
Giant clams are known for their vibrant colors. Erin Donalson/Shutterstock. Excerpted from The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. Copyright (c) 2021 by Cynthia Barnett. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. The islands of Palau in the western Pacific—hundreds of them, ...
Why do giant clams grow in clusters?
Because of the way they breed, giant clams, such as these in Palau, need to grow in big clusters. Pete Niesen/Shutterstock
Why do clams spawn in clusters?
The clams settle in clusters because they need to be close to each other to reproduce; they spawn in sync. Mature clams generate both sperm and eggs and release them into the water from their siphons like smoke from a little stovepipe, setting off a chain of fertilization.
How many clams can spawn in one spawning?
A single T. gigas can send as many as 500 egg s into the ocean in one spawning. Alas, fecundity is no consolation in a lonely sea.
Where are the giant clam fonts?
Giant-clam fonts grace La Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, and now Catholic churches around the world, perhaps inspired by Pacific peoples’ infant bathtubs made of giant clams. The holy water font of Anse Boileau Church on Mahe Island in the Seychelles. Colouria Media/Alamy.
Who discovered footlong oysters in the Indian Sea?
Pliny the Elder explained in his Natural History: The expedition of Alexander revealed footlong oysters in the Indian Sea, and “some spendthrift and gourmand” named them tridacna, “wishing it to be understood thereby, that they are so large as to require three bites in eating them.”.
Was there any evidence of a giant clam being killed?
All with no evidence—none historic, none popular, none scientific, not even an unverifiable but possible story—of anyone ever being killed in the grasp of a giant clam. A diver with a giant clam in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Product Description
This GIANT 22" White and Gray Clam Shell, also known as Tridacna gigas, would make a wonderful addition to any beach or seashore decor home.
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Where do giant clams come from?
Location of Origin: Kenya/Tanzanian border. The clam has been reinforced with metal bars to hold it together, these cannot be seen. Certificate: Being fossil giant clams from an extinct species (T.Gigantea) these clams don't fall under CITES regulations as do modern day's T.Gigas, hence they can be exported worldwide.
How rare are Gigantea clams?
It needs to be pointed out that the T. Gigantea is much rarer, only 10 to 15 clam s are found every month in Kenya while thousands of T. Gigas are still found in the South China Sea every month, leftovers from the meat-harvesting during the 70ies and 80ties. As such, prices are expected to supersede T. Gigas. A double T. Gigas can cost as much as 6-10000U$ while a fossil T. Gigantea was sold for 18000£ recently (28,000U$)and a smaller size fossil T. Gigantea clam (60kg) was recently sold by Bonhams auction house for 4000 U$. http://m.bonhams.com/auctions/19371/lot/3005/
What is the clam reinforced with?
The clam has been reinforced with metal bars to hold it together, these cannot be seen.
How long does it take to get a T gigantea?
The work involved finding T. Gigantea, removing them, clean and polish them takes up to 2 month but a worker gets a years salary (sometimes more depending on the quality of the clam) when he finds one. It all started off as a community project and over the years we have invested millions of Ksh into some of the poorest communities along the coastline, empowering them financially.
Is every clam polished to perfection?
Every clam is polished to perfection. You can see your own reflection in these clams.
How do giant clams help the environment?
The giant clams help maintain marine wildlife by sheltering some animals and stopping too much algae growth, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.
Where are the endangered shells in the Philippines?
The Philippine National Police and the BFAR confiscated an estimated ₱50 million of the endangered shells on the island of Negros in February, according to CNN Philippines.
Did Tequillo have permission to collect shells?
Tequillo claimed she had permission from the Philippine president's office and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to collect the shells, said the PCSD, adding that Tequillo had no documents to prove this. President Rodrigo Duterte's office, the BFAR and the PCSD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
