Invertebrates
Giant Clam
Tridacna gigas · Bivalve mollusk — family Cardiidae, subfamily Tridacninae; the largest living bivalve
A mature giant clam is a reef landmark: a meter-plus of fluted shell holding a mantle patterned in electric blues, greens, and golds, no two animals alike. The colors come partly from iridescent cells managing light for the clam's real engine — symbiotic algae farmed in its tissues — which is why giants sit in the sunlit shallows gaping wide by day. Old stories about man-trap clams are folklore; a disturbed animal vents and closes slowly, and the largest cannot seal at all. The genuine drama is reproductive, broadcast spawning that fogs whole lagoon patches with gametes. Tridacna gigas has been fished out of much of its former range for meat and shell, and many animals divers meet today, notably in Palau, descend from hatchery restocking. Find the paired siphons, note the sunburst mantle pattern, and keep fins well clear.
在哪里、什么时候能见到
"常驻"表示在该目的地潜水时大多数情况下都能遇见它们；"季节性"表示在所列月份内可靠出现；其他任何情况都是意外惊喜，而非计划中的保障。
| 目的地 | 可靠性 | 月份 | 备注 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns & the Ribbon ReefsAustralia | Resident — seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| PalauPalau | Resident — seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| Raja AmpatIndonesia | Resident — seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| Sipadan & MabulMalaysia | Resident — seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 | |
| YapFederated States of Micronesia | Resident — seen on most dives | 全年皆宜 |
最佳月份一览
| 月份 | 可靠目的地 |
|---|---|
| January | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| February | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| March | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| April | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| May | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| June | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| July | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| August | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| September | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| October | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| November | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
| December | Cairns & the Ribbon Reefs · Palau · Raja Ampat · Sipadan & Mabul · Yap |
深入了解
栖息地: Sunlit reef flats, lagoon floors, and upper slopes — shallow because its symbiotic algae need strong light.
分布范围: Coral Triangle, Micronesia, and the Great Barrier Reef; fished out of much of its former Indo-Pacific range, with reintroductions in several countries.
习性: Sessile after settlement; gapes its patterned mantle to the sun by day, contracting and slowly closing when shadowed. Spawns by broadcast, fogging the water with gametes.
食性: Mostly sugars from symbiotic algae farmed in the mantle, topped up by filter feeding.
体型: 通常约 1.0 m; 记录深度可达 1.3 m (shell length; the largest reliably weighed animals exceed 200 kg).
与它相处时的行为守则
Keep fins, gauges, and hands clear of the mantle and siphons; shadow the animal as little as possible and never test the closing reflex.
保育
Listed Vulnerable under a 1996 assessment widely considered out of date — recent studies argue it is far more threatened — locally extinct in parts of its range, and traded under CITES Appendix II; hatchery programs restock several countries.
以此著称的已标注潜点
观看
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