Published on Thursday, May 18, 2017
Pacific Razor Clam Digging Habits Go Viral
[FASCINATING]
This Pacific razor clam has gone viral because of its unusual (but completely natural) digging habits. In this video, the clam uses its muscular foot to gain momentum to dig itself into the wet sand. Then once it’s vertical and barely visible, the razor clam suddenly spews out a grey goo (which is actually just a mix of sand and water). The squirting may look concerning, but it’s just one of the razor clam’s clever ways to dig its way underground faster. Pacific razor clams dig themselves into the sand to keep themselves from drying out and to keep them out of sight from predators such as fish, crabs, birds and humans.
Pacific razor clams are bivalve mollusks whose native habitat lies along the Pacific coast of North America. They can be found up north in the Aleutian Islands, all the way down to California’s Pismo Beach. The Pacific razor clam in the video was filmed by a fly-fishing guide in Oregon, Kate Taylor. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), these razor clams can dig a foot deep in just one minute. They’ve also recorded them at depths of over 4 feet. That is quite an amazing feat for a small razor clam.
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