There are many species of clams living in Barnegat Bay.

Clams

Hard Clams

Anatomy

Life Cycle

Ark Clams

SoftShell Clams

 Hard Calm or Northern Quahog                     Mercenaria mercenaria

The hard clam, or northern quahog has long been a main stay of New Jersey’s coastal communities. Since the resources of the rich coastal bays were first harvested, the clam captured a strong hold in the fresh seafood market and the hearts of the summer residents.

When you think of "clams" in Barnegat Bay, usually it is the hard clam. 

When in a seafood store or supermarket you can buy "Little Neck", "Top Neck",  "Cherrystone" or "Chowder" clams all of which refer to different sizes of hard clams.

In the bay, they start life when sperm and egg unite and develop into a larvae.  The larvae are free swimming until the shells develop and they drop to the mud or sand of the floor of the bay where they burrow in. Once there, they remain buried extending siphons to draw in water which provides a supply of microscopic plankton as well as oxygen.  They digest the nutriments and expel non-digestible and waste material.

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Soft Shell Clam                                               Mya arenaria

The soft shell clam has thin, oval, elongated shells. 
The shells are chalky white with a thin, parchment-like covering that varies in color from brownish to yellowish to gray.
When closed, the shells gape at both ends and a foot and two siphons protrude from either end.  Both siphons are enclosed in a leathery membrane.
The left valve has a spoon-like depression at the hinge.
Soft shell clams grow to about 3 to 4 inches

Fun Fact - Soft Shell Clam are also known as "steamers", "piss clams", "softshells", "longnecks" and in New England "Ipswich clams" or "Essex clams" (towns in Massachusetts)

Fun Fact - The term "piss clams" comes from the fact that because the siphon often
sticks up through the sand and the clams unwittingly revealing their location by spurting water.

Fun Fact - Unlike most other clams, the soft shell clam cannot completely retract its siphon into its shell.

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Atlantic Jackknife Clam or Razor Clam           Ensis directus

Razor clams average in size between 5-9 inches. Their length is about 6 times their width.  They ranges from yellowish to dark brown in color.

They are found in the sand and mud, and are usually dug for by hand but they are hard to catch because of the speed at which they can burrow into the bay bottom

They have a sweet flavor that is similar to a lobster, but with the same texture and consistency of a clam. They can be consumed raw (on the half-shell), steamed, fried, or cooked in a chowder.

Fun Fact - because of its streamlined shell and strong foot, razor clams can burrow in wet sand very quickly, and also have the ability to swim.

Stout Tagelus              Tagelus plebeius

The Stout Tagelus (also called the stout razor clam) is similar to the Atlantic Jackknife clam but its shape is shorter and wider.

They grow to about 3 inches in length with the shell being 3 times longer than it is wide.

They can burrow very rapidly by extending its strong, muscular foot into the bay bottom and pulling the shell down after it. This species builds a permanent burrow in mud or fine sediment, that will have a J-shape and the end curved upward.                                                                        <click on image to enlarge>

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Ark Clams are members of family Arcidae, thus the name "ark".  Characteristics are thick and heavy shells, with a predominantly radiating sculpture.

Arcidae have a taxodont hinge, and the hinge plate is straight, with the teeth increasing in size away from the umbo.

Most species live attached to stones with their byssus, but some live in sand.

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The surf clam is the most important commercial species of clam in the United States account for about 70% of all clams commercially harvested.

Atlantic Surf Clam        Spisula solidissima

Ocean Quahog        Arctica iclandica        

Ocean quahogs are among the longest-lived marine organisms in the world.
Off the U.S. East Coast, where the fishery takes place, ocean quahogs can live for as long 200 years (or more).
They grow very slowly and do not start to reproduce until around age 6, and do not reach a commercially harvestable size until about age 20

Coquina Clams        Donax variabilis
    Those little clams you see digging in when the waves recede

Coquina clams are a common inhabitant the barrier island’s sandy beaches.
Known for their highly variable color patterns, coquinas can be found buried just under the surface of the sand in the wave-swept area of the beach known as the "swash zone".
Because of their size (only 3/4 inch), coquinas are eaten by a variety of sea creatures, including crabs and seabirds.
Like most clams, coquinas use a muscular “foot” to dig themselves under the sand away from harm.