Journal of Aquaculture Engineering and Fisheries Research

Clam: Physical Features and Types

Louis Walker^* Department of Aquaculture Management and Production, University Corporation of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia
^*Correspondence: Louis Walker, Department of Aquaculture Management and Production, University Corporation of Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia, Email:

Received: Dec 08, 2021 Published: Dec 29, 2021

Introduction

Clam is a generic term for a variety of bivalve mollusks. The term is frequently applied only to edible infauna that spend the majority of their life partially buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Bivalves are one of the most available species in the sea and freshwater. About 500 species thrive in fresh water. Bivalves are typically found on or in muddy or sandy bottoms. There are two shells which are attached by a muscles named abductor muscles and they even have foot. Clams do not dwell attached to a substrate or towards the bottom in the culinary sense.

A clam's shell is comprised of two (typically equal) valves coupled by a hinge joint and an exterior or internal ligament.One or two adductor muscles can contract to seal the valves, while the ligament generates tension to draw them apart. Clams also have a nervous system, kidneys, a heart, a mouth, and a stomach. A syphon is used by many people. Clams use two tubes called syphons or "necks" to draw in and expel water for respiration and feeding. The beating of millions of cilia (hairlike structures) on the gills propels the water; other gill cilia strain food from the inflowing water and transfer it to the mouth, entangled in mucus.

The female normally discharges her eggs into the water, where they are fertilised by sperm discharged by the male. The eggs hatch into larvae that swim for a short time before settling permanently on the ocean floor.Clams range in size from 0.1 mm (0.004 inch) in Condylocardia to 1.2 metres in the Pacific and Indian seas' enormous clams. Clams are shellfish that serve as filter feeders and food for a variety of organisms, making them a crucial part of the web of life that keeps the seas running. The clams are also consumed by larger number of aquatic species like sea otters, walruses, sealions, seals and they are known as the staple food of the Great Pacific octopus as they are largely dependent on clams for their survival.

Littlenecks, topnecks, cherrystones, and chowder clams are all quahogs. The size of the clams is roughly 1-5 inches diameter, the smallest one is the little neck, while the larger one is the chowder clam. Soft shell clams bury themselves deeper in silt and have larger syphons than hard shell clams. Because these syphons can prevent the clam from fully closing its shell, it's critical to de-grit them before cooking. The majority of soft shell clams are taken in the wild. Soft shell clams that are longer and narrower in breadth than other species are known as Atlantic Razor Clams. Their shells resemble a straight-edged barber's razor, as the name implies.

Clams are good for male fertility, collagen synthesis, contain a lot of vitamin B12, supply iron, help regulate blood pressure, are high in protein, are good for thyroid health, are healthy for your heart, are high in choline, and are high in riboflavin. They're also high in iron and protein, low in fat, and packed with minerals.

Acknowledgement

The Authors are very thankful and honored to publish this article in the respective Journal and are also very great full to the reviewers for their positive response to this article publication.

Conflict of Interest

We have no conflict of interests to disclose and the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors. The Authors are very thankful and honored to publish this article in the respective Journal and are also very great full to the reviewers for their positive response to this article publication.