Deepwater clam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deepwater clam
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclass:	Heterodonta
Order:	Adapedonta
Family:	Hiatellidae
Genus:	Panopea
Species:	P. zelandica
Binomial name
Panopea zelandica Quoy and Gaimard, 1835
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Synonyms
Panopaea zelandica Quoy and Gaimard, 1835 Panopaea solandri Gray, 1843

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The Panopea zelandica is a really big type of clam! It's often called the deepwater clam or New Zealand geoduck. Sometimes people also call it a king clam or a gaper. It gets the name "gaper" because its shell doesn't completely close at either end.

This amazing creature is a bivalve mollusc. That means it's a soft-bodied animal, like a snail or an octopus, but it lives inside a shell made of two hinged parts, like a book. It belongs to the Panopea family, which includes other geoduck clams.

Where the New Zealand Geoduck Lives

The New Zealand geoduck is found all around the main islands of New Zealand. You can find it near the North, South, and Stewart islands.

Its Home in the Ocean

These clams usually live in shallow ocean waters. They prefer sandy or muddy areas off sandy beaches. You'll typically find them in depths of about 5 to 25 metres (about 16 to 82 feet).

Other Geoduck Species

Did you know there's another type of geoduck in New Zealand? It's called Panopea smithae. This cousin lives in much deeper waters than the New Zealand geoduck.

How the Geoduck Lives

Like other geoducks, the P. zelandica is a master at burrowing. It digs deep down into the mud or sand. It can burrow quite far, sometimes up to 45 centimetres (about 18 inches) deep!

Inside view of Panopea zelandica shell

End-on view of Panopea zelandica's gape

Using its Siphon

Even though it's buried deep, the geoduck needs to reach the surface for food and water. It does this using a special tube called a siphon. This siphon stretches up from its body to the ocean floor.

How it Eats

The siphon is very clever because it has two tubes inside. One tube sucks in water from the ocean. This water contains tiny bits of food, like plankton. The clam filters out these food particles. Then, the clean water is pushed back out through the other tube of the siphon. It's like a built-in vacuum cleaner for food!