The fascinating secret lives of giant clams | Mei Lin Neo
When you think about the deep blue sea, you might instantly think of whales or coral reefs. But spare a thought for giant clams, the world's largest living shellfish.
========== Back home, my friends call me nicknames, such as "The Giant Clam Girl," "Clam Queen," or, "The Mother of Clams." (Laughter) This is because every time I see them, I talk nonstop about giant clams all day, every day. Giant clams are these massive
and colorful shelled marine animals, the largest of its kind. Just look at this shell. The biggest recorded individual
was four-and-a-half-feet long and weighed about 550 pounds. That is almost as heavy
as three baby elephants. South Pacific legends once described
giant clams as man-eaters that would lie in wait on the seabed
to trap unsuspecting divers. A story goes that a diver
had lost his legs while trying to retrieve a pearl
from a giant clam. I thought, "Really?" So out of curiosity, I ...