Fifteen Amazing Facts About Clams

Fact 1 - The clam is a burrowing marine mollusk that lives on sand or mud in freshwater. A mullusk is invertebrate with a soft un-segmented body usually enclosed in a shell. The clam closes its shell with vice-like firmness. Clams are herbivores, eating mainly plankton. (Bi-valve mollusks include clams as well as oysters and mussels.)

Fact 2 - Freshwater clams are very popular in home aquariums.

Fact 3 - The clam has no head, no biting mouth parts and no arms or legs.

Fact 4 - Clams are made up of a pair of shells and a soft inner body.

Fact 5 - Clams have no eyes, ears, or noses, so they cannot see, hear, or smell.

Fact 6 - A clam's shell consists of two, usually equal, halves.

Fact 7 - The shell halves are connected by an elastic hinge- like ligament.

Fact 8 - Clams are typically 1-2 inches across the shell.

Fact 9 - The gills of clams remove oxygen and food particles from the water.

Fact 10 - Clams, including the Giant Clam, are considered a delicacy in Japan.

Fact 11 - The Giant clam has a lifespan of over 100 years.

Fact 12 - The Giant clam, Tridacna gigas, is the largest bivalve mollusk. This giant clam can weigh more than 440 pounds and its shell can measure up to four feet across!

Fact 13 - A clam has only two goals in life: to eat and to have sex, hence the phrase "happy as a clam."

Fact 14 - Unfortunately, since clams have no brain, they derive no real pleasure from either food or sex. The clam's remarkable fruitfulness serves not only to reproduce itself, but also to feed countless organisms in the seaside food chain.

Fact 15 - They taste great! Mmmmm! For more information about what ProShuckers can do for your next party, e-mail or call us at 443-520-0729.