Giant clam
Tridacna gigas
- Scientific name
- Tridacna gigas
- Group
- Nudibranchs & Molluscs
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Vulnerable
Did you know?
The giant clam is the largest living bivalve mollusk, capable of weighing over 200 kg and living more than 100 years. It gets much of its energy from symbiotic algae living in its colorful mantle, which it exposes to sunlight.
What defines this group — Nudibranchs & Molluscs
Sea snails, with or without a shell — nudibranchs traded theirs for warning colours.
- “Nudibranch” means naked gills: the plume on the back is their breathing apparatus.
- Two rhinophores on the head act as a nose, following scent trails.
- Many recycle the venom of their prey — anemones, hydroids — for their own defence.