CLAMS
MARINE BIO PROJECT
BY LUCAS WILLENBROCK
CLAM BASICS
• Hard clams belong to the Phylum Mollusca
which includes squid octopus and other
bivalves such as oysters and Mussels
• They belong to the class Bivalvia
• The class has about 30,000 known
species
Biology
• Clams have an open circulatory
system
• They have two usually equal
halves of a shell made out of either
calcite or araragonite
• They have a heart, mouth,
• anus and kidneys
• They have no brain but due
have a simple nervous system
located in the foot
Habitat
• Clams live on the seafloor
• The spend their lives in the sand or mud or
attached to an object like a rock or wood
pylon
• They are capable or short
distance movement but
this typically quickly
exhausts the animal.
DIET
• Just about all clams are filter feeders
Predation
• Clams have many natural enemies
• They are especially venerable to specialized
predators like starfish and the oystercatcher as
they are able to break open the shell and it’s
powerful abductor muscles.
• Humans pose a huge threat to clam populations
as worldwide demand increases
• They are also venerable to the red and brown
tides
Reproduction and life cycle
• They due have separate sexes but are
capable of hermaphroditic reproduction
• Clams if left untouched can live as longer
or longer than humans
• Some species can live longer than 200
years
• One specimen caught of the coast of
iceland was a reported 400 years old