How Manila Clams Use One Gill Twice
Sand is a poor jailer. Beneath a beach flat, a Manila clam keeps paired siphons at the surface while its body stays buried, turning concealment into a working water line. No separate pump. Its gills, called ctenidia, move water, sort food, and exchange gases in the same small chamber. One surface suffices.This is a tighter arrangement than it first appears. Cilia along the ctenidia beat in coordin...More
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