East Riding Museums

Upper and lower halves of a fluted clam shell (Gaudyasaphis), from the Indian/Pacific Ocean. White with rows of deep red spots on upper half. Part of the Pamplin shell collection. Clams are a type of bivalve, that is a shell divided into two parts, with the soft body of the mollusc between them. There are many different types. The largest can be 4 feet across and weigh a quarter of a ton. Some types are edible and are fished in large quantities in north European and American waters.