Avoiding a clam-ity

Active Clam

Active ClamFoot extended as this living clam seeks water from the ebbing tide, there motion is occurring. Full disclosure, my son gently helped this clam back to its watery domain.

Alive Clam

Alive ClamFoot extended as this living clam seeks water from the ebbing tide, there motion is occurring. Full disclosure, my son gently helped this clam back to its watery domain.

Have you ever wondered how clams move around? They don't have legs or fins, so how do they get from one place to another? Well, the answer is that they use their foot. Yes, you read that right. Clams have a foot, but it's not like a vertebrate's foot. It's a muscular extension of their body that they can extend and retract.

Clams use their foot to dig into the sand or mud where they live. They do this by contracting and relaxing their muscles, creating a suction effect. They can also use their foot to push themselves forward or backward. They extend their foot in the direction they want to go, anchoring it to the ground, then pull their body along.

Clams don't move very fast or very far, but they do move for various reasons. Some clams move to find food, such as plankton or organic matter. Some clams move to escape predators, such as crabs or fish. Some clams move to find a better place to live, such as a deeper or shallower spot in the water.

In this case as photographed, the clam found itself stranded on the sand at the ebb tide. The sand was wet but the sun was strong, so it needed to find its way back to water. Our son, animal lover and zoo employee that he is, responsibly helped this creature back to its habitat.

Animate Clam

Animate ClamFoot extended as this living clam seeks water from the ebbing tide, there motion is occurring. Full disclosure, my son gently helped this clam back to its watery domain.

Moving Clam

Moving ClamFoot extended as this living clam seeks water from the ebbing tide, there motion is occurring. Full disclosure, my son gently helped this clam back to its watery domain.

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