Scientists find and kill 405 year old clam

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #3467
    Martin W
    Participant

      New record for the world’s longest lived animal, reported in the Guardian:

      Quote:
      A clam that lived on the seabed in the frigid waters off Iceland’s north coast has been hailed as the longest-lived animal ever discovered.

      The mollusc, which is thought to have lurked beneath the waves until at least the age of 405, would have been a juvenile when Galileo picked up his first telescope, Hamlet was first staged and the gunpowder plot failed to blow up King James I.

      The Arctica islandica clam was plucked from 80m-deep water by researchers at Bangor University in Wales, who were dredging the north Iceland shelf for the creatures. By studying their shells, the scientists hope to learn how the marine environment has changed in recent centuries.

      The clams are born as larvae which drift through the oceans until they settle on to the seabed and begin to grow shells. Unlike scallops, they cannot propel themselves, but burrow down into the sea bed where they filter and feed on a constant rain of nutrient-rich phytoplankton.

      “It’s a mind-boggling amount of time to be sat there doing that,” said Dr Wanamaker.

      Clam claims oldest animal record

    Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
    • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
    Compare Products
    No products were added to compare list
    Return to Shop
    Waxwings Mug (11 OZ)
    0 customer review
    HK$125.00
    Scarborough Castle Hill and South Bay Mug (11 OZ)
    0 customer review
    HK$125.00
    Scarborough South Bay Framed Canvas Print 20x16 inches
    0 customer review
    HK$180.00
    Scarborough South Bay Mug (11 OZ)
    0 customer review
    HK$125.00
    Scarborough Castle sunrise Frame Canvas Print 20x16 inch
    0 customer review
    HK$180.00
    Gannets greeting Canvas Tote Bag (Large)
    0 customer review
    HK$165.00
    Gannets Greeting Canvas Print 16"x16"
    0 customer review
    HK$180.00
    Keep Calm and Carry on Birding Men's Gildan T-shirt blue
    0 customer review
    HK$178.00
    Keep Calm and Carry on Birding Men's Gildan T-shirt 100% Cotton Red
    0 customer review
    HK$178.00
    Hong Kong Terns Mug (11 OZ)
    0 customer review
    HK$125.00