MARINE BIO PROJECT BY LUCAS WILLENBROCK 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