- Size
- Shell to about 35 cm
- Snorkel or dive
- Snorkel and dive, shallow.
- Best season
- Year-round.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (IUCN, 1996); listed on CITES Appendix II.
How to recognise it
A fluted, wedge-shaped shell wedged into the reef, gaping to reveal a dazzling mantle patterned in electric blue, green, gold and brown.
Behaviour in the wild
Grows algae (zooxanthellae) inside its mantle for food and filter-feeds; the mantle's colours come from pigment cells that also shield the algae from glare.
Where to see it in the Maldives
Shallow reef flats and lagoon reefs across the atolls, cemented among coral rubble and hard substrate.
Visual field notes
See giant clam from more than one angle.
One verified identification image is currently available.
01 · Field portrait · Species reference
Field notes
No giant clam has ever trapped a diver — the muscle is too slow — but each pair of 'eyespots' on the mantle really can sense a shadow and close the shell.
Profile references
References are shown transparently; profile copy may also include editorial synthesis. Seasons and sightings vary with wild conditions.
