Fluted Giant Clam on Coral Seabed

Fluted Giant Clam on Coral Seabed

Fluted Giant clam resting on the seabed. Fluted giant clams have large scutes which are leaf-like fluted edges that undulate around the clam mantels. Giant clams float when young, attaching themselves to the seabed or reef after which they are permanently fixed. They open their colourful mantels during the day to receive sunlight, displaying beautiful spot-like colourful patterns. Giant Clams are the largest of all molluscs, growing up to 1.2 meters and weighing up to 230kg. Giant clams attach themselves to a place amongst the corals in the warm waters of the South Pacific and Indian Ocean where they then spend their lives, as they are unable to move again. Often the reef grows up around the Giant Clam, leaving only the beautifully patterned mantels exposed, the remainder of their shell masked by hard corals and algae.

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Fluted Giant Clam Facts
Common name(s): Fluted giant clam, scaly giant clam
Scientific Name: Tridacna squamosa
Family: Giant clams (Tridacnidae)
Width: 40cm
Depth: 30cm to 20m
Diet: Photosynthesizes sunlight, phytoplankton
Habitat: Lagoons, seaward reefs
Distribution: Red sea to Samoa and South Africa
Conservation: Conservation dependant