Twig Walkingstick

Q. Dear Twig: How many kinds of clams are there?

A. Well, "clam," in general, means a bivalve mollusk. That's a mollusk with a two-part shell. If you lump all the bivalve mollusks on Earth all together--the clams, mussels, oysters and scallops--they add up to about 15,000 species.

In Ohio, my home, the clams/mussels go by such weirdly excellent common names (as opposed to their weird, less-excellent, but-more-accurate scientific names) as fluter, creeper, peewee ("That's my name! Don't wear it out!"), sheepnose, blue ham, pancake, hogshell, ring pink, pink pigtoe (ree!), Ohio pigtoe (ree, ree!), snuffbox, slopbucket, fatmucket, heelsplitter (ooch!), monkeyface (oop!), strange floater, purple wartyback and orange-foot pimpleback.

I tip my cap to this bivalve biodiversity! But also I see that it needs our help. Some 70 percent of America's freshwater mussels are declining, endangered or extinct. Which stinks. I give that a blue-ham salute.

Clammily,

Twig

P.S. Dive into OSU clam info! http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~molluscs/OSUM2/index.htm.

Notes: The Web site is by the Division of Molluscs, Museum of Biological Diversity, part of Ohio State's Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology. Sources also included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://www.fws.gov/news/mussels.html; the University of Vermont ("Fun With Freshwater Mussels"), http://www.uvm.edu/%7epass/tignor/mussels/; the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, http://ellipse.inhs.uiuc.edu/FMCS/; and Field Guide to Freshwater Mussels of the Midwest by the Illinois Natural History Survey, http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/collections/mollusk/fieldguide.html. FYI: "Mollusk" is sometimes spelled "mollusc," especially in England.

"Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick," published by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences -- specifically, by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and Ohio State University Extension, the research and outreach arms, respectively, of the College -- is a weekly column for children about science, nature, farming and the environment. It's written at a 4th-grade reading level. For details, to ask Twig a question, and/or to receive the column free by mail or e-mail, contact Kurt Knebusch, CommTech, OSU/OARDC,1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691, knebusch.1@osu.edu, (330) 263-3776. Online at http://extension.osu.edu/~news/archive.php?series=science.

3/24/08
None\5-C

	Web hpj.com

Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011.  High Plains Publishers, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com

Search HPJ This Week 2012 2011 Inside Futures Editorial Archives Select a back issue 02/06/2012 01/30/2012 01/23/2012 01/16/2012 01/09/2012 01/02/2012 12/26/2011 12/19/2011 12/12/2011 12/05/2011 11/28/2011 11/21/2011 11/14/2011 11/07/2011 10/31/2011 10/24/2011 10/17/2011 10/10/2011 10/03/2011 09/26/2011 09/19/2011 09/12/2011 09/05/2011 08/29/2011 08/22/2011 08/15/2011 08/08/2011 08/01/2011 07/25/2011 07/18/2011 07/11/2011 07/04/2011 06/27/2011 06/20/2011 06/13/2011 06/06/2011 05/30/2011 05/23/2011 05/16/2011 05/09/2011 05/02/2011 04/25/2011 04/18/2011 04/11/2011 04/04/2011 03/28/2011 03/21/2011 03/14/2011 03/07/2011 02/28/2011 02/21/2011 02/14/2011 02/07/2011 01/31/2011 01/24/2011 01/17/2011 01/10/2011 01/03/2011 12/27/2010 12/20/2010 12/13/2010 12/06/2010 11/29/2010 11/22/2010 11/15/2010 11/08/2010 11/01/2010 10/25/2010 10/18/2010 10/11/2010 10/04/2010 09/27/2010 09/20/2010 09/13/2010 09/06/2010 08/30/2010 08/23/2010 08/16/2010 08/09/2010 08/02/2010 07/26/2010 07/19/2010 07/12/2010 07/05/2010 06/28/2010 06/21/2010 06/14/2010 06/07/2010 05/31/2010 05/24/2010 05/17/2010 05/10/2010 05/03/2010 04/26/2010 04/19/2010 04/12/2010 04/05/2010 03/29/2010 03/22/2010 03/15/2010 03/08/2010 03/01/2010 02/22/2010 02/15/2010 02/08/2010 02/01/2010 01/25/2010 01/18/2010 01/11/2010 01/04/2010 12/28/2009 12/21/2009 12/14/2009 12/07/2009 11/30/2009 11/23/2009 11/16/2009 11/09/2009 11/02/2009 10/26/2009 10/19/2009 10/12/2009 10/05/2009 09/28/2009 09/21/2009 09/14/2009 09/07/2009 08/31/2009 08/24/2009 08/17/2009 08/10/2009 08/03/2009 07/27/2009 07/20/2009 07/13/2009 07/06/2009 06/29/2009 06/22/2009 06/15/2009 06/08/2009 06/01/2009 05/25/2009 05/18/2009 05/11/2009 05/04/2009 04/27/2009 04/20/2009 04/13/2009 04/06/2009 03/30/2009 03/23/2009 03/16/2009 03/09/2009 03/02/2009 02/23/2009 02/16/2009 02/09/2009 02/02/2009 01/26/2009 01/19/2009 01/12/2009 01/05/2009 12/29/2008 12/22/2008 12/15/2008 12/08/2008 12/01/2008 11/24/2008 11/17/2008 11/10/2008 11/03/2008 10/27/2008 10/20/2008 10/13/2008 10/06/2008 09/29/2008 09/15/2008 09/08/2008 09/01/2008 08/25/2008 08/18/2008 08/11/2008 08/04/2008 07/21/2008 07/14/2008 07/07/2008 06/30/2008 06/23/2008 06/16/2008 06/09/2008 06/02/2008 05/26/2008 05/19/2008 05/12/2008 05/05/2008 04/28/2008 04/21/2008 04/14/2008 04/07/2008 03/31/2008 03/24/2008 03/17/2008 03/10/2008 03/03/2008 02/25/2008 02/18/2008 02/11/2008 02/04/2008 01/28/2008 01/21/2008 01/14/2008 01/07/2008 02/06/2012 01/30/2012 01/23/2012 01/16/2012