These clams might not have a brain, but they do have a foot for digging. They'd better move quick, or these rays and birds will have them for dinner.
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It's tough being a clam.
They have no brains. They're popular in chowder. They won't set any speed records.
But they do have-a foot. Well, a foot that looks like a tongue, but sometimes, that's all you need.
Along the shallow coastline of the Atlantic, these surf clams spend their days filter feeding for plankton.
Some hide under the sand, only a siphon peeking out to feed.
They may have no brain, but they're not stupid.
Staying under the sand is a good survival strategy.
To counteract this, cow-nosed rays stir up the loose sand to expose the clams, then crush them with their powerful jaws.
Other hunters, like this oystercatcher, have a different method to get a half-shell platter.
They slice the muscles on this jackknife clam and pop open the shell.
They don't have eyes per se, but clams do have special photoreceptor cells.
A sudden change in the light means something bigger and hungrier is above them.
When they sense danger, they dig down.
The fastest clams can dig an inch per second.
Is it enough to keep this clam alive?
Success!
That's one clam that's as happy as...well, you get the idea.
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