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This handsome brown and white clam shell, named, obviously, for its resemblance to the wing of the wild turkey, is a bivalve found on beaches from North Carolina to the West Indies, and also on Bermuda's shores, as well as in the Mediterranean area. The mollusk attaches itself by its byssus (threadlike filaments) to rocks and other solid objects in shallow water. The shell may grow to the length of 4 inches. It is a fairly thick shell with an interior of very pale lavender. It has a long series of approximately 50 small teeth on the hinge. The hinge is straight, rather than curving. Living examples are covered with a thick and bristly “carpet” or periostracum. Yet another specimin from my grandmothers' collection...it's very rare to see a turkey wing clam that is actually still together, often you just find one side or the other.

 

 

 

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Uploaded on July 29, 2009
Taken on July 29, 2009