Table of Contents
Where does clams originate from?
Soft shell clams are found on the East Coast from Northern Canada to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. They also in the Pacific Coast regions of Alaska, Washington, California and in Western Europe. Soft shell clams are also known as steamers, nannynose or long necks.
Clams belong to a group of invertebrates called mollusks. There are over 100,000 kinds of animals or species in the Mollusca phylum or category. Clams are also known as shellfish. The term shellfish includes members of the mollusk phylum and the crustacean subphylum.
How are clams created?
To reproduce, clams release eggs and sperm into the water seasonally, generally in mid-summer when water is warm and planktonic food is abundant. After fertilization of an egg, cellular division produces larvae and eventually tiny clams that settle to the bottom.
Is an octopus a relative of the clam and oyster?
They’re shelled. Clams, oysters, mussels and scallops are all mollusks, meaning they are members of the invertebrate phylum Mollusca. Their cousins within the phylum include gastropods, like snails and slugs, and cephalopods, like octopuses and squid.
When did clams first appear on Earth?
about 510 million years ago
Clams and their relatives (oysters, scallops, and mussels) are often called bivalves (or bivalved mollusks) because their shell is composed of two parts called valves. Bivalves have a long history. Their fossils first appear in rocks that date to the middle of the Cambrian Period, about 510 million years ago.
What are clams purpose?
Clams play an important role in the cycling of nutrients, including nitrogen (N). Clams do not absorb nitrogen directly from their environment, rather they feed on naturally-occurring phytoplankton, which use dissolved inorganic nitrogen, available in the water, to grow.
Do clams have feelings?
Clams can feel certain sensations and respond, but there’s almost certainly no conscious thought. Clams don’t have a centralized brain like mammals. However, they do have a nervous system, giving them the ability to feel things and react.
Are clams free swimming?
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.