The giant 'what' is the biggest shellfish?

This enormous shellfish, an inhabitant of tropical seas, is the world's largest bivalve mollusc alive today and the heaviest of all living bivalve molluscs. Specimens grow up to 1.3 m and can weigh up to 300 kg.

1. How big do giant clams get?
2. How big is the biggest giant clam ever found?
3. Can you eat a giant clam?
4. Where do you find giant clams?
5. What is the largest pearl ever found?
6. What is the largest clam in the world?
7. Do giant clams make pearls?
8. How big can oysters get?
9. Do giant clams have predators?
10. Who owns the largest pearl in the world?
11. What's inside a giant clam?
12. What is the difference between an oyster and a clam?
13. Do all clams have pearls?

How big do giant clams get?

Size and Range. These bottom-dwelling behemoths are the largest mollusks on Earth, capable of reaching 4 feet in length and weighing more than 500 pounds. They live in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

How big is the biggest giant clam ever found?

The largest known specimen of giant clam was over four and a half feet (1.3 m) wide and weighed approximately 550 pounds (250 kg).

Can you eat a 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. ... Giant clams grow quickly and require no supplemental feeding.

Where do you find giant clams?

At home on reefs throughout the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific and parts of South Africa, the giant clam lives on shallow reef flats down to depths of around 66 feet (20 m).

What is the largest pearl ever found?

The Centaur Pearl, also known as the Danat Sheikha Fathima bint Mubarak Pearl, is said to be the largest gem pearl in the world. The magnificent pearl got its current nickname after being set as the torso in a golden sculpture of a centaur which is on display at the Abu Dhabi Hotel.

What is the largest clam in the world?

The Tridacna gigas, better known as a giant clam, or taklobo in the Philippines, is the largest living bivalve mollusk. They can grow larger than 4 feet across and weigh more than 400 lbs.

Do giant clams make pearls?

The giant pearl supposedly formed inside a giant clam, which in and of itself is unusual, as clams rarely make pearls. Something clearly got out of hand for the poor creature, because this thing got big. ... The Daily Mail says the fisherman originally found it when a ship's anchor got stuck on the giant clam.

How big can oysters get?

The world's largest oyster is nearly 14 inches long and resides in Denmark, according to the folks at Guinness World Records. And it's still alive and growing, according to Christine Ditlefsen, the biologist at the Wadden Sea Centre whose world record was recently certified.

Do giant clams have predators?

It may seem like the sheer size of this clam would keep all threats away. But this mollusk does have some predators. Reef fish, eels, and starfish eat the meat of the clam. Humans also harvest these clams to eat their meat.

Who owns the largest pearl in the world?

A man from Mississauga, Ont., is showing off a unique family heirloom; a 60-lb natural pearl worth upwards of $90 million. Abraham Reyes is the proud owner of the world's largest pearl, and explains how he inherited the pearl from his aunt in the Philippines.

What's inside a giant clam?

What's inside a clam? A retractable foot, a siphon for sucking up water, powerful muscles, and, sometimes, a pearl. ... Like oysters and mussels, clams are bivalves, a kind of mollusk that's encased in a shell made of two valves, or hinging parts. And that shell comes in all different sizes.

What is the difference between an oyster and a clam?

Clams have stout, oval-shaped shells where both halves are the same size. ... Oyster shells have a rougher texture than mussel shells and can be brown, white or gray. Oyster shells are a little more irregular in shape, too, especially when compared to clams or mussels.

Do all clams have pearls?

While any oyster — and clams and mussels — can produce pearls, some species of oysters are more likely to produce pearls, while others may be harvested primarily to serve as food.