The life cycle of clams is quite fascinating, one that involves larval, juvenile, and adult stages. Clams reproduce both asexually and sexually, with some species being hermaphrodites.
They cannot breathe in an air environment, but they can survive during droughts for many months or even years out of water. How do they do this? Clams shut down all bodily processes except for the essential ones needed for survival. Once returning to an aquatic environment, the clam can return to normal after just 12 hours thanks to an increase in oxygen levels.
Let’s go into more detail on the lifecycle of clams.
Starting Out
Both male and female clams release eggs and sperm into the water. Ideal water temperatures will be about 50° F. After 12 hours or so, the fertilized egg develops into a trochophore larva less than 0.1 mm long —no wider than a human hair. After another couple of days, the clam morphs into another kind of larva (veliger larva). This is the stage at which it develops its shell. The free-swimming veliger larvae feed on phytoplankton as they get carried around the tides.
This stage may last several weeks, depending on the warmth of the water. It will grow faster in warmer water. As it does so, its shell thickens and adds weight to the clam. At this time, a muscular foot develops that will allow the clam to move around. After it settles into the mud or rocks along any given shoreline, it attaches itself to the bottom via a sticky thread known as a byssus. The clam is still pretty small (twice the thickness of a hair).
These young clams will use their feet to find an ideal location, typically a mixture of silt and sand great for burrowing.
Transitioning to an Adult Clam
Clams dig into the mud to protect themselves from crabs, birds, and other predators above the surface. Because clams are filter feeders, they draw in seawater and filter out the tiny organisms floating in the seawater. This food keeps the clams alive so they can grow. The clams siphon the food up through the mud to the water, sometimes digging down through one foot of mud. Small clams can’t dig nearly that far.
Clams that have survived their first winter will continue growing when the water gets warm the next season. For most clam species, most of their growth occurs between July and September. Clams must grow to a certain size for legal harvesting, usually involving at least one or two summers of growing and thriving.
Contact HM Terry Co.
We hope you enjoyed our blog about the life cycle of clams. Now all you need are the fresh clams to enjoy! For that, call H.M. Terry Co., Inc. today at 757-442-6251.
