The Fascinating Giant Clam
By Sean Manole
Introduction
Wow! did you know that the Giant Clam can weigh up to 500 pounds? This unique clam, native to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, has an interesting diet, habitat, and life cycle.
Diet
This extraordinary mollusk has a outstanding diet. The Giant Clam eats plankton and the algae that grows within its mantle. This is the reason that it gets to such an enormous size. Mostly because of the sugars and protein the the algae produces. This extravagant sea creature obtains its food by using two tubes called siphons. These tubes filter food in and keeps unwanted food out. This is just one example of how interesting the Giant Clam can be.
Habitat
This sessile mollusk has a exotic habitat. An amazing fact is that these giant invertebrates can live up to 100 years in its natural habitat. It is found in warmer salt water oceans like the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Its geographic locations are near the Malaysian Borneo, South China Sea and scattered all over the Great Barrier Reef. The Giant Clam stays in one place its entire life. if not attached to a coral reef, it is found 66 feet on the sandy bottom. Those are the facts about this gigantic shells habitat.
Life Cycle / Reproduction
My huge organism has an unusual life cycle and reproduction. The steps are first, when the eggs come in contact with the male sperm, they get fertilized. Second, the mothers sheds of the eggs which float for about 12 hours before hatching. Finally when the babies hatch, they swim around for a while then land safely on coral or sand. The number of offspring a female Giant Clam produces is about 500 million at one time. Within a few days, the small babies will start to grow their own shell.