clam Questions

put it on the rock its has a foot under its shell it will attach its self put it where u want it after its attached it foot u cant take it off rock or you will kill it more than likely so put it wher u want it and leave it be

 

Yep. And make sure that where ever you put it, it cannot fall off. Falling = ripping foot = death

 

They actually have exquisite amount of control of their bysus threads and bysus organ (which they excrete the threads from). Typically simple falling without torsion will not result in ripping, tearing, or removal of the bysus organ. They can actually contract it like a muscle and draw them selves back to the rock where they are/were anchored. With rotation and torsion, ripping is more likely and can be dangerous.

Some species of clams should ONLY be placed on rock; crocea/maxima and other species can be placed in sand or rock. Given the option, it's better to place them on sand, since their bysus threads will attach to a glass bottom where a razor blade can be used to remove them by simply slicing the threads. If you pull a clam up to remove him, you will likely rip their bysus organ out of the bottom and kill them (although it might take days to weeks for it to actually die because of this injury). These species that are adapted to live on a sand bed eventually loose the opening on the underside of their valves where the bysus threads are excreted and rely on their weight and size alone to stabilize themselves in currents in the open ocean. On the other hand, crocea and maxima clams which do not obtain such large size are almost always fond in rock, and actually secrete a mild acid to bore a niche into the rock to better secure themselves.