Giant Clam
The Tridacna genus includes several species of giant clams, which are the largest living bivalve mollusks. The most endangered of them is Tridacna gigas. It is classified by the IUCN (also known as Red List) as vulnerable, meaning that its conservation status is threatened. Despite its appearance, the Giant Clam is very sensitive to feeling pain. It has a heart, kidneys, a mouth, and even a stomach. With its distinguishable daily growth bands, which provide a high resolution record of past extreme weather events, the shell of the Giant Clam has recently raised interest in paleoclimate researchers.
Sources: Hong Yan, “Daily growth bands of giant clam shell: A potential paleoweather recorder”, Solid Earth Sciences, vol. 5, issue, 4, (2020): 249-253.
Accessed on 23 September 2022.
