Page 8 The Shoreline August 2006
ASK#
AQUARIUM
Q. What are those little shells on the beach
that look like butterfly wings?
A. They are the empty shells of coquinas
(Donax variabilis),
small clams that
live in the sand
where the surf
crashes onshore. ^
•T3
Thisareaisknown J
as the intertidal
zone.
Life is tough 2
here, yet these | . .
little pastel- Empty coquinas look
striped mollusks wings,
appear in huge patches by the hundreds,
sometimes thousands. Surprisingly, their
empty shells are often found intact, spread
out on the sand like butterfly wings. When
alive, the shells, like all clams, remain tightly
closed except when feeding.
Coquinas usually measure less than an
inch long and come in a rainbow of beautiful
colors - lavenders, whites, tans, pale blues,
deep purples and yellowish-rose. Brilliant
bands radiate from the shell's hinge, and
each clam has a slightly different color
pattern.
These small clams lead a life of almost
ceaseless activity. Burrowing rapidly
into the sand as a wave recedes, they
are unearthed again when the next wave
breaks on shore. Exposed, the clam digs
quickly back into the sand, using its stout
pointed foot as a spade to pull itself safely
undercover. Once entrenched, it extends
its tiny siphons to draw in water and feed
on the minute plankton carried in on the
waves. It repeats
this behavior
hundred of times
each day.
Coquinas shift
higher or lower
on the beach with
the tides in mass
movements of
scores of hundreds.
They seem to work
an area for food, then move on. The sand
flashes bright, multicolored patches, as
the small clams emerge from their holes,
only to be swallowed seconds later by the
onrushing sea.
Birds crabs and some fishes feed on
coquinas, and in some areas people harvest
the little clams to make chowder. But it takes
LOTS of the tiny morsels to make a meal,
and the result is often more broth than clams,
along with a hefty serving of sand.
like colorful butterfly
S I
Lonely Sentinel - A palm tree stands mutely amidst the debris from demolition of
Pavillion Resort, being torn down to make way for a development of single family
HiGation Rentals
the Royal
homes.
HH REALTY
g^WORLD
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252-247-5150
800-972-8899
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252-354-3928
252-354-7231
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email:rentals@ncbeach-vacation.com
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