Giant tridacna - the largest mollusk in the world weighing up to 300 kilograms

In most people, mollusks are associated with oysters and other seafood that are used for food. But the mollusk, which will be discussed today, does not fit on any plate, because its weight can reach 300 kilograms. Today we will talk about an amazing creature - the largest mollusk in the world.

The giant tridakna is really huge, and its size simply does not fit into the head. With a shell length of 1.2-2 meters, its weight averages 200 kilograms, although heavier specimens are also found. The largest of all found representatives of the species was found near the Japanese archipelago and weighed 340 kilograms. According to this indicator, he was even listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The giant tridacna (lat. Tridacna gigas) belongs to the class of bivalve mollusks and is found in the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. She is one of the inhabitants of coral reefs. In addition to its grandiose size, this mollusk has a very unusual color - from gray-green to blue-violet shades. The thing is that the simplest organisms, unicellular algae, live in the folds of his mantle. These algae, in addition to serving themselves as food for the tridacna, also supply it with nutrients that they themselves produce.

These mollusks are centenarians whose age reaches 100-200 years. Tridacnae are hermaphrodites and breed, forming thousands of larvae (veligers). The larvae travel the first days of life with the rest of the plankton, obeying the sea currents, and then young tridacs settle forever at the bottom and begin to grow. On average, their shell sizes increase by 6-10 centimeters annually. Over the years of growth, in one place the tridacna is covered with a layer of silt and algae, and a pair of crabs often settle inside.

Among pearl collectors, a giant tridacne has long been considered a dangerous creature that can grab a person’s hand or even swallow it whole. In fact, these are peace-loving creatures that feed on plankton, filtering ocean waters. Although these fears are not without foundation: there are known cases of closure of the shell, when a person had to release a clasped hand with a knife. But this is only a manifestation of the reflex characteristics of the animal, and not a sign of aggression.

The giant tridakna, although capable of producing pearls, is mined mainly for making souvenirs for tourists, since it is not suitable for jewelry. The dimensions of the pearls are impressive, as well as she herself. The largest of the most famous pearls of today is 6.37 kilograms and measures 15 by 28 centimeters.