the.com/clam
a face with no eyes, a body with no spine, and centuries on the clock
means A burrowing bivalve mollusk with a hinged two-part shell, prized as seafood and famous for snapping shut at the first hint of trouble.
from From an old Germanic root meaning a clamp or a thing that grips tightly — the same family that gives us 'clamp.' The shellfish is literally 'the clamper,' named for the way its two valves seize shut like a vise. The slang sense of 'clam up' (to fall silent) is the same image carried into speech: a mouth closing as firmly as a shell.
- oldest animal
- One quahog lived 507 years before scientists killed it
- no brain
- Just two nerve clusters, no central command
- slang money
- A clam meant a dollar in old American slang
- giant variety
- Giant clams weigh over 500 pounds, farm their own algae
- single foot
- Burrows using one muscular foot, no legs needed
little neck clam — hard-shell clam from northeast us waters, typically 1-2 inches, most popular for raw bar service
manila clam — invasive species now dominating pacific northwest beaches, introduced from asia in 1930s
geoduck clam — largest burrowing clam in world, found in puget sound, can weigh 3+ pounds with 12-inch siphon