Atlantic jackknife clam

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iAtlantic jackknife clam

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Veneroida
Family: Solenidae
Genus: Ensis
Species: E. directus
Binomial name
Ensis directus
Conrad, 1843

The Atlantic jackknife clam, Ensis directus, also known as the razor clam (but note that "razor clam" sometimes refers to different species) is a mollusc which is found on the Atlantic Coast, from Canada to South Carolina. The clam lives in in the sand and mud found in intertidal or subtidal zones in bays and estuaries. Its only predators are birds such as the ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) in North America and the Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in Europe.

It is also found in northwestern Europe, where it is regarded as a harmful exotic species. It was first recorded in Europe in 1978/79 in the Elbe estuary.


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