From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids
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For other uses, see Clam (disambiguation).
Littleneck clams: Rocks with food inside. The pictured mollusks are of the species
Mercenaria mercenaria.
Maxima clam (
Tridacna maxima).
Clams are shelled marine or freshwater mollusks belonging to the class Bivalvia (Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca[1]). While the term "clam" has no taxonomic significance in biology, in general use, the term clam refers to a bivalve (a mollusk whose body is protected by two symmetrical shells) that is not an oyster, mussel, or a scallop, and that has a more-or-less oval shape, or alternately, to a freshwater mussel (Merriam-Webster Dictionary.). Clams are invertebrates, with shells divided into two pieces called valves. These pieces are joined with a hinge joint, and with two adductor muscles that open and close the shells. Clams have a heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. An exception to the oval shape is the razor clam, which has an elongate shell suggesting a straight razor. Some quahogs on the Eastern American Coast may be 200 years old.
In culinary use, clam most often refers to the hard clam (Taxonomically, Mercenaria mercenaria) but may refer to other species such as the soft-shell clam Mya arenaria. They are eaten raw, steamed, boiled, baked or fried: the method of preparation depends partly on size and species. Clam chowder is a popular soup in the U.S. and Canada. In Italy they are often an ingredient of mixed sea dishes, or are eaten together with pasta.
"Clam"- a slang term used for a mutual friend who one has sexual relations with but no emotional attatchment to.
[edit] Examples of clams
- The Ark clams, family Arcidae
- The Hard clam or Northern Quahog: Mercenaria mercenaria
- The Soft clam: Mya arenaria
- The Surf clam: Spisula solidissima
- The Ocean quahog: Arctica islandica
- The Pacific Razor Clam: Siliqua patula
- The Giant clam: Tridacna gigas
- Asian or Asiatic clam: genus Corbicula
- Peppery furrow shell: Scrobicularia plana
- Pismo clam: Tivela stultorum (8 inch shell on display in the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce)
- Geoduck clam: Panopea abrupta or Panope generosa (largest burrowing clam in the world)
- The Atlantic jackknife clam: Ensis directus
References:
- ^ Animal Diversity Web, http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bivalvia.html
