Closeup view of giant clam, Tridacna gigas
he giant clam (Tridacna gigas) or traditionally, pa’ua, is the largest living bivalve mollusc. One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they can weigh more than 180 kilograms (400 pounds) and measure as much as metres (5 feet) across. Sessile in adulthood, the creature's mantle tissues act as a habitat for the symbiotic single-celled dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) from which it gets its nutrition. By day, the clam spreads out its mantle tissue so that the algae receive the sunlight they need to photosynthesize.
Size: 5120px × 3413px
Photo credit: © Craig Ellenwood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, bottom, clam, closeup, coral, creature, dwelling, giant, gigas, invertabrate, mantle, ocean, reef, sea, sessile, tridacna, underwater, zooxanthellae
