Pacific geoduck

Panopea generosa · A very large burrowing clam with a long neck-like siphon, found along the Pacific coast of North America.

Also called Geoduck.

Pacific geoduck
Photo: Gunnhilduur, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pacific geoduck
Photo: Stan Rullman, CC BY 4.0
Pacific geoduck
Photo: Stan Rullman, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassBivalvia
OrderAdapedonta
FamilyHiatellidae
GenusPanopea
SpeciesPanopea generosa

Where it lives

Sandy and muddy seabeds from Alaska to Baja California.

Fun facts

  • The geoduck is the largest burrowing clam in the world, and it is also one of the longest-living animals of any type.
  • Geoducks typically live about 140 years, and the oldest one on record was 179 years old.
  • The shell is only 15 to over 20 centimeters long, but the siphon alone can stretch to 1 meter, making the clam much longer than its shell.
  • Scientists can tell a geoduck's age from yearly rings in its shell, which also act as an archive of past ocean conditions.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).