Steamer Clam

Facts about Steamer Clams, "Scientific name for Steamer Clam Mya arenaria". Steamer Clams are a variety sea bivalve mollusk that belongs to the genus Mya of the Myidae family. These are palatable sea water clams and they are called Soft-shell clams in the United States or sand gaper in the Great Britain. The scientific name of Steamer clam variety is Mya arenaria, and they are popularly called softshells, steamers, longnecks, Ipswich clams, piss clams, or Essex clams.

Features about Steamer Clam

Adult Steamer Clams usually found living at a depth, ranging from 6 inches to 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm) below the surface of the mud. They will extend their paired siphons equal to the surface, and they use these siphons to draw in seawater that is sorted out for food and excluded. The openings in the mud during which the water is drawn in and out can habitually be seen at low wave. Water may be noticeably ejected from the tips of the siphon when pressure is applied to the adjoining mud. This makes the Steamer Clams easier to find when humans are hunting for them while they are excavating.

Usually, Steamer Clams prefer to live in the buried sludge on tidal mudflats. They are recognized as a food item on the coastline of New England in the western parts of the Atlantic Ocean. However, the range of these clams extends much beyond south to the Southern states and north to Canada. They can also be seen in the eastern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, in addition to in the Wadden Sea of the North Sea, where they are the leading big clam.

Steamer Clams have turned out to be an enveloping species on the North American Pacific Coast, including Canada, Alaska and the continental USA. These clams were originated in the Pacific Ocean at some stage in the Miocene, which is the first geographical era of the Neogene period. They extended their collection during the early Pliocene to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as European waters. The European and the Pacific populations were destroyed sometime during the early Pleistocene, leaving only the population of the Northwest Atlantic, which then extended through humans to its present distribution. These clams can also be seen in the Mediterranean Sea.

In addition to falling prey to humans, Steamer Clams are actually relished by ocean otters in the eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean, where these clams are an enveloping species. These clams are preyed upon heavily by invasive green crabs and Northern moon snails in New England. They are also a preferred food of seagulls, which drag these clams from the sand, ascend about 15 feet to 20 feet (5 m to 6 m), and afterward drop the clam on a firm surface, breaking their shell. They then drop down swiftly to consume the malleable parts of these clams earlier than others can get to it.

Steamer Clams are safe to eat and can be exploited in an assortment of dishes. These clams can be consumed fried, steamed, or in clam chowder. They are an essential part of the clambake of the New England, where they are supplied steamed complete inside the shell, and then, they are dragged from the shell at the table.

The average lifespan of the Steamer Clams ranges from 10 years to 12 years.