A clam that has survived for over 200 years has been discovered in the United States. In terms of Korea, it has survived since the era of King Sunjo of the Joseon Dynasty, so attention was focused on it.
The Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea, Florida, USA introduced longevity clams collected off the coast of Florida through its official website on the 1st.
This clam is a Littleneck Clam common in North America. It is mainly used for food, but in fact, the discoverer, a man named Blaine Parker, was also collecting clams to make clam chowder, an American-style soup that is boiled with clams or abalone.
An official of the research institute said, “The baby clam is common in the Atlantic Ocean in North America, but it is difficult to find in the coastal waters of Florida.”
The laboratory experts who received the clam from the finder noted that it was about 15 cm in size and weighed 1.2 kg. Originally, baby clams grow up to 10 cm in size and 230 g in weight.
As a result of the investigation, the age of this clam was estimated to be 214 years old. The discoverer was named Lincoln because he was born in the same year as Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. The man laughed, saying, “I couldn’t possibly boil the special-looking clams into soup. I was good at holding back.”
An official from the research institute said, “It is unusual that a baby clam was found off the coast of Florida, but it is really strange that it is so large and weighs about six times that of the same species. Surviving for over a year is unprecedented,” he explained.
Shellfish are famous for their longevity, living hundreds of years along with turtles among marine creatures. The oldest living clam was found off the coast of Iceland in 2007 and was estimated to be 507 years old.
The man inquired at the research institute if he could raise rare baby clams as pets. After hearing the answer that it was difficult, the man eventually sent the shellfish back to the Florida coast where he first found it.
Reporter Yoonseo Lee [email protected]
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