The large clam (Acesta excavate)
Photo and
text : ERLING SVENSEN
The large clam (Acesta
excavate) is the largest known mussel living on the deepwater coral
reefs in Norwegian waters. The size of the mussel may extend 20 cm,
which is quite large for a mussel living this far north. The mussel
is found in deep waters from the Swedish West-coast along the whole
coastline of Norway. The large clam is usually found from 150 metres
and downwards, but some mussels are known from shallow deepwater
coral reefs.The image above
was captured during a dive in the fjord Lysefjorden on the
Southwest-coast of Norway close to Stavanger. The mussels lived at
50 meters of water together with other species from deeper waters in
a steep wall. The mussles was eating and had their shells open. We
could see the beautiful colour of the inside of the large clam. The
diving spot was a typical location for this type of biology. The
fjord has its most narrow point here and there is a sill at the
bottom, forcing the cold deepwater towards the surface.
