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| Imagine waking-up to find one in bed with you, sucking on your hip. | |||
| :''In ], ] (mirugai) is sometimes referred to as "giant clam".'' | |||
| {{Taxobox | |||
| | color = pink | |||
| | name = Giant clam | |||
| | status = VU | |||
| | status_system = iucn2.3 | |||
| | image = Giant_clam.jpg | |||
| | image_width = 250px | |||
| | regnum = ]ia | |||
| | phylum = ] | |||
| | classis = ] | |||
| | ordo = ] | |||
| | familia = ] | |||
| | genus = '']'' | |||
| | species = '''''T. gigas''''' | |||
| | binomial = ''Tridacna gigas'' | |||
| | binomial_authority = ], ] | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''giant clam''' (''Tridacna gigas'') or traditionally, '''pa’ua''', is the largest living ] ]. One of a number of large ] species native to the shallow ] ] of the South ] and ]s, they can weigh more than 180 kilograms (400 pounds) and measure as much as 1.5 metres (5 feet) across. | |||
| Slurp | |||
| ] in adulthood, the creature's ] ] act as a ] for the ] single-celled ] ] from which it gets its nutrition. By day, the clam spreads out its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the ] they need to ]. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| As is often the case with uncharacteristically large species, the giant clam has been historically misunderstood. Known in times past as the ''killer clam'' or ''man-eating clam'', reputable scientific and technical manuals once claimed that the great mollusk had caused deaths; versions of the '']'' even gave detailed instructions for releasing oneself from its grasp by severing the adductor muscles used to close its shell. | |||
| Today, it is generally acknowledged that the giant clam is neither aggressive nor particularly dangerous; while it is certainly capable of holding one fast in its grip, the shell's closing action is actually a defensive response, and far too slow to pose any reasonable threat. No account of a human becoming trapped in this manner has ever been substantiated. | |||
| ==Conservation status== | |||
| The ] lists the giant clams as vulnerable. There is concern among ]s for the sustainability of practices among those who use the animal as a source of livelihood. The numbers in the wild have been greatly reduced by extensive overharvesting for food and the aquarium trade. On the ], giant clam shells are sold as decorative accoutrements abounds, and the meat, called ''Himejako'' in ], is prized as a delicacy. | |||
| <gallery> | |||
| Image:Giant_clam_detail.jpg|Detail of mantle | |||
| Image:Giant_clam_with_diver.jpg|The largest of all clam species | |||
| </gallery> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Wells|year=1996|id=22137|title=Tridacna gigas|downloaded=06 May 2006}} Listed as Vulnerable (VU A2cd v2.3) | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| *ARKive - | |||
| *''Tridacna gigas'' entry on | |||
| *Giant clam entry on the | |||
| * at Universiti sains Maylaysia | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 18:32, 21 June 2006
Imagine waking-up to find one in bed with you, sucking on your hip.
Slurp