Quahog Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria)

Tidepool Tim says,   “Quahogs are hard-shelled clams.  We do not have them locally in our bays as it seems the water here is too cold.  We collect them in mid-coast Maine and to the south. These are probably the most known clam in the entire us.  They sit in the sand with just the top edge of their shells protruding from the bottom so that they can filter feed and grow.  Humans love to eat these clams and the purple insides of shells were once used as wampum by the Native Americans. Chickens are sometimes fed ground up quahog shells as an addition to their grain diet. The calcium in the shells aids them in producing the shells of their eggs.”