One of the outstanding features of the marine environment at Jiigurru, Lizard Island, is the high density of Giant Clams, of which there are 6 different species found around the island. This video gives a quick look at all six species in their natural habitat. These animals have been fished to near extinction in much of their former Indo-Pacific range, and the Great Barrier Reef is their last stronghold. We have been surveying clam populations at two locations around Jiigurru since 2007 and have also been using them as a known site for studying the growth of corals in the recovery assemblage (see Corals on Clams https://lnkd.in/gfHyC4tU ), because the clams are very heavy and don't move from one survey to the next. They are fascinating animals, functional hermaphrodites with brightly coloured mantle tissue packed with symbiotic algae that makes most of their food from sunlight, and the largest species, Tridacna gigas, is the biggest bivalve mollusc ever to have existed on earth! coralseafoundation.net #coralseafoundation #giantclam #tridacnagigas #tridacnaderasa #tridacnasquamosa #tridacnamaxima #tridacnacrocea #hippopushippopus. https://lnkd.in/gunTfRdx
