Re: Bearded clam

Posted by Lewis on February 27, 2003

In Reply to: Re: Bearded clam posted by Shae on February 18, 2003

: : : where did that phrase come from(not the dirty version)

: : I looked around using Google and found just a little information. A mollusk called the bearded clam lives in the Mediterranean Sea and was also listed among Korean exports. I didn't find a picture of it. I'm guessing that part of its body forms a fringe that might protrude from its shell. Any shellfish experts here?

: I'm hardly an expert but I do have some books on the topic and I haven't found any mention of a bearded clam. Several bivalves such as scallops have a fringe of tentacles resembling a beard around the edge of both shells. Others, such as mussels, attach themselves to hard surfaces by a bysus - a bundle of hair-like threads often referred to as a beard.

Again, no crustacean expert, but there is a bearded clam and it does have a dark fringe of tendrils around the slit. It's no wonder it got used as a comparison. the bearded clam was quite well-known in England, even though it is apparently mediterranean.