giant clams
Huge reef mollusks
Giant clams are the largest living bivalve mollusks, found in warm shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific.
Some species grow over four feet across and live for decades.
Despite old sailors' tales, they pose no real danger to divers—they close too slowly to trap anyone.
Their colorful mantles contain symbiotic algae that provide most of their nutrition.
Covering or wrap
- siphonLiquid transfer tube
- adductorMuscle pulling toward center
- gillsAquatic respiratory organs
- shellHard outer covering
nacre · foot · hinge · valve · muscle · tissue · calcium carbonate · filter feeder
Underwater rock or coral formation
- coralMarine skeletal formation
- oceanMassive saltwater body
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
Pacific · Indo-Pacific · shallow · tidal · seabed · marine · aquatic · sanctuary
Showing shifting spectral colors
- vibrantFull of life, intensity
- colorfulFull of varied hues
- huesGradations of color
- brilliantIntensely bright or gifted
vivid · dazzling · multicolored · patterned · luminous · radiant · variegated · pigmentation
Thinly sliced raw fish
- seafoodMarine creatures as cuisine
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- gourmetConnoisseur of fine cuisine
luxury · harvested · overfished · chowder · ceviche · raw · adductor · umami
Extremely large in scale
- hugeExtremely large in size
- colossalExtremely large in scale
- massiveExtremely large and heavy
- immenseExtremely large in scope
hefty · weighty · heavy · record-breaking · oversized
Portable underwater breathing gear
- snorkelingSurface swimming with breathing tube
- underwaterBelow the surface
- sightingInstance of perceiving something
- photographyCreating images from light
ecotourism · observation · encounter · diving · freediving · marine sanctuary
mantle
Covering or wrap
shell · nacre · foot · hinge · valve · muscle · tissue · calcium carbonate · filter feeder · symbiosis
reef
Underwater rock or coral formation
lagoon · Pacific · Indo-Pacific · shallow · tidal · seabed · marine · aquatic · sanctuary · Palau
iridescent
Showing shifting spectral colors
brilliant · vivid · dazzling · multicolored · patterned · luminous · radiant · variegated · pigmentation · wavy
sashimi
Thinly sliced raw fish
- seafoodMarine creatures as cuisine
- delicacyRefined sensitivity or rarity
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
gourmet · luxury · harvested · overfished · chowder · ceviche · raw · adductor · umami · succulent
enormous
Extremely large in scale
immense · hefty · weighty · heavy · record-breaking · oversized
scuba
Portable underwater breathing gear
- snorkelingSurface swimming with breathing tube
- underwaterBelow the surface
- sightingInstance of perceiving something
photography · ecotourism · observation · encounter · diving · freediving · marine sanctuary
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- bivalvesmussels, scallops, mussel, cockles, oyster
- aquaculturefish farming, fish farms, aquaculture, salmon farming, shrimp farming
- Tropical SeasCaribbean Sea, Coral Sea, Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, South China Sea
- island wildlifemarine iguana, Darwin's finches, Galapagos tortoise, kakapo, kiwi
- coral reefsreef, coral reef, corals, soft corals, polyp