THE PACIFIC RAZOR CLAM
Photo by Mary Jo Adams © 2004
A beach walk on a very low-tide day of this summer of '04 (about a -3.8 feet) revealed a clam species I'd not personally seen before on a Camano Island beach: a Razor Clam.
Certainly I was aware of several of their salient traits - minimally their distinct elongated bivalve profile. But I thought they were creatures of the deep wave-washed outer coastal region - not ones that would be found in the calmer more protected waters of Saratoga Passage between Whidbey and Camano Islands.
But the delight of a very low-tide walk is the seldom seen critters one encounters like Siliqua patula . They may more often find the surf-dashed outer coastal water a preferred habitat, but they also are partial to low-intertidal to subtidal habitats. Hence, for me, the rare sighting during a very low-tide.
Aptly named, they indeed are shaped like antique straight-edged-razors -long, somewhat thin and flattened, and narrow. The one our Adventures In Nature group spotted was some 3 1/2 - 4" long although they can reach 7".
Its shell was thin and brittle appearing, strongly hinged, smooth and very glossy, and the characteristic yellow-brown color. The glossiness and coloration apparently created over a basically white shell by periostracum - a highly polished appearing coating of organic material found on the outer surface of razor shells. We often see such coatings, at times darker, on other mollusk shells as well.
The Razor Clam's large, muscular, strong, buff-colored foot was evident - but since it did not use it to rapidly burrow into the sand, aided by its streamlined shape, as it normally would, we deduced it was probably damaged.
Razors are, interestingly, relatively "long livers" - have been known to live rather close to the surface of Pacific beaches up to 18 years - were gathered by Native peoples in May and June during low spring tides of yore. Small dimples in the sand or other hints of sub-surface activity aided the Native Americans in their harvesting.
They are a clam species prized by many gourmets, so not too
surprisingly, continuing on into the 21st century, they are sought after by a bevy of recreationalists and commercial fisher-folk.
Pat Nash
Beach Watcher
Class of '94