What does it look like?
•
Fluted
Giant Clams come in different colours and patterns.
•
It is
15 to 30 cm long.
•
Its
thick shell has two halves. The two halves are like “lips” with a wavy opening.
The “lips” do not close completely, with the shell opening facing the sunlight.
When it is in water,
its “lips” expand.
Where does it live?
•
The Fluted
Giant Clam attaches itself to rocks or pieces of coral that are broken.
•
Due to
over-collection and loss of habitat, the Fluted Giant Clam species now occur in
very low numbers in Singapore and could soon be extinct (no longer exist)
here.
What does it eat?
•
It gets
its food from the algae that live within it.
|
Did
you know? • The fluted giant clam got its name
from the rows of deep open flutes on the two halves of its shell. •
It
has both male and female reproductive organs. It therefore produces both eggs
and sperm! •
Its
“lips” are sensitive to light. The “lips” pull back in when divers swim over
it, or when it senses danger. •
It
has a row of eyespots along the edge of its “lips” to help it spot possible
danger. •
It
can squirt a jet of water at a target accurately. This scares away other
animals that want to eat it! Fluted Giant Clams are now
endangered. This is due to their slow rates of growth and reproduction, and
people collecting them for their shells and food. Fluted Giant Clams play an important
role in the sea. They provide food and shelter to other animals and help
clean the seawater. When they die, their shells become part of the coral
reef. |
