Quahog is a name that Native Americans gave clams

Did you ever eat a quahog? A quahog is not a pig. It is a kind of clam. Quahog is a name that Native Americans gave clams.

WHAT ARE CLAMS LIKE?

All clams belong to a group of animals called mollusks. Mollusks have soft bodies without any bones. A shell protects their soft bodies. Clams live in water or mud.

Some clams have hard, thick shells. The shell is sort of round or heart-shaped. Hard-shell clams are the kind of clams known as quahogs.

Some clams have a thin shell. Soft-shell clams are longer than hard-shell clams. Soft-shell clams are also known as longnecks. Other clams have shells with razor-sharp edges. Razor clams also have long shells.

Most clams are small enough to hold in your hand. Some clams are giants. The largest clams grow shells as long as 4 feet (1.2 meters). These giant clams can weigh as much as 500 pounds (227 kilograms)!

HOW DOES A CLAM GET ITS SHELL?

Clams grow their own shells. They take a chemical called calcium carbonate from the water. This is the same chemical that makes limestone and chalk.

A part of the clam’s body called the mantle makes the clam shell. The mantle is a covering that goes around the clam’s body.

Clamshells grow in layers. Sometimes the clam grows a thick layer of shell. Sometimes it grows a thinner layer. The inside of the shell has a beautiful layer called mother-of-pearl. The color of mother-of-pearl goes from white to pink or purple.

HOW DOES A CLAM USE ITS SHELL?

There are two parts, or halves, to a clam’s shell. Sometimes the two halves are apart, and so the clam’s shell is open. When there is danger, the clam slams its shell shut.

The closed shell protects the clam’s body. It protects the clam’s heart, digestive system, gills, and other organs.

HOW DO CLAMS BREATHE AND EAT?

Clams breathe and eat through two tubes called a neck. The tubes carry water. As water flows over the gills, the gills take oxygen from the water.

The gills have tiny hairs. The hairs trap bits of food floating in the water. The hairs sweep the food into the clam’s mouth.

Where Do Clams Live?

Clams live in saltwater, freshwater, and muddy areas near water. Quahogs live in shallow waters along the Atlantic shore of North America. Soft-shell clams live on mudflats near the Atlantic coast. Razor clams live on the Pacific Coast. There are also clams that live in freshwater.

Giant clams live in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. They also live in other places in the South Pacific Ocean.

CAN CLAMS MOVE AROUND?

Clams have one foot. A clam’s foot is not like your foot. It is a thick, muscular organ that sticks out of the shell.

Clams use their foot to burrow into sand or mud. Some clams use their foot to move over the sea bottom. A clam can also move by expelling water from its shell.

HOW DO PEOPLE EAT CLAMS?

People enjoy digging for clams to eat. They go to beaches where clams are known to be. Then they look for holes in the wet sand and other signs of clams. You have to be fast to dig for clams. When the clam senses danger, it moves deeper into the sand.

You can boil, fry, or steam clams. You can even eat clams raw. Small hard-shell clams called littlenecks and cherrystone clams usually get eaten raw. You only eat the body of the clam, not its shell.

You can cook clams to make soup. Clam soup is called clam chowder.