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geoduck |
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geoduck (g
`ēdŭk'), common name of a Pacific clam clam, common name for certain bivalve mollusks, especially for marine species that live buried in mud or sand and have valves (the two pieces of the shell) of equal size...... Click the link for more information. , Panope generosa. The largest intertidal burrowing bivalve bivalve, aquatic mollusk of the class Pelecypoda ("hatchet-foot") or Bivalvia, with a laterally compressed body and a shell consisting of two valves, or movable pieces, hinged by an elastic ligament. ..... Click the link for more information. in the world, the geoduck may weigh up to 12 lb (5.4 kg). The shell is thin, lacks teeth, and may attain a length of 8 in. (20 cm). The valves, or two parts of the shell, are always open in the adult, because the body and siphons are too large to be retracted. Geoducks are found from British Columbia to S California, with the largest population in Puget Sound. They inhabit mud flats, burrowing to a depth of 3 or 4 ft (90–120 cm), where they live in semipermanent burrows. Although they are edible, they are not widely marketed due to their inaccessibility: They are exposed for only a few hours a month during minus tides, at which time they can be obtained with a shovel. Digging geoducks is considered a sport in Washington, where there is a limit of three per day. Geoducks are classified in the phylum Mollusca Mollusca , taxonomic name for the one of the largest phyla of invertebrate animals (Arthropoda is the largest) comprising more than 50,000 living mollusk species and about 35,000 fossil species dating back to the Cambrian period. ..... Click the link for more information. , class Pelecypoda or bivalvia, order Eulamellibranchia, family Saxicavidae. geoduckMarine bivalve (Panopea generosa) that inhabits the intertidal zone of the Pacific coast from southern Alaska to Baja California. It is the largest known burrowing bivalve, with a shell about 7–9 in. (18–23 cm) long and siphons that extend up to about 4 ft (1.3 m). It may weigh as much as 8 lbs (3.6 kg). Though highly prized for food, it lives in deep burrows and is difficult to dig out (the name probably derives from an Indian phrase meaning “dig deep”). Similar species are found in other parts of the world. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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