Snails
Tridacna maxima
Tridacna maxima, the maxima or small giant clam, is a bivalve mollusc found throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Family
Cardiidae
Avg Size
20-35 cm
Habitat
This clam has the broadest range of any giant clam, occurring around East Africa, India, China, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Red Sea, and the Pacific islands. It settles on reef surfaces or sand, or partly embedded in coral, and keeps to well-lit areas because the photosynthetic algae it depends on need sunlight.
Behaviour
A sessile mollusc, the small giant clam anchors itself to rock or dead coral and draws water through its body, filtering out phytoplankton and taking up oxygen through its gills. It needs to filter-feed far less than other clams, however, since most of its nourishment comes from symbiotic photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae. It begins life as a fertilised egg that hatches within 12 hours into a free-swimming larva; this develops into a more advanced larva capable of filter-feeding, and by the third larval stage a foot appears, letting it alternate between swimming and resting on the seabed.
Where & When to See It
Gota Soraya
Gota Kebir
Habili Ali
Sha'ab Samadai (Dolphin House)
Sha'ab Sharm
Little Brother Island
Elphinstone
Shaab Claudia
Aida
Numidia
Fury Shoals
Shaab Maksur
Abu Ghalawa
Rocky Island
Big Brother Island
Shaab Sataya
Shag Rock (Kingston)
Umm Kharalim
Zabargad Island
Thistlegorm
Abu Dabbab
Habili Gaffar
Hamda
Jackfish Alley
Jackson Reef
Kimon M
Kormoran
Middle Garden
Near Garden
North Gabr El Bint
Panorama Reef
Ras Abu Helal
Ras Burg
Ras Disha
Ras Ghamila
Ras Ghozlani
Ras Katy
Ras Um Sid
Ras Zaatar
Rosalie Moller
Salem Express
Shaab Abu Nugar
Shaab Eissa
Shaab El Erg
Shaab Eshta
Shaab Petra
Shaab Sabina
Shabrur Um Gamar
Shark & Yolanda Reef
Shark's Bay
Siyul Kebira
Small Giftun
Sodfa
Soma Bay Garden
South Ras Abu Galum
SS Turkia
Temple
The Barge at Bluff Point
The Canyon
The Caves
The Islands
The Ulysses
Three Pools
Tower
Turtle Bay
Umm Gamar North
Umm Gamar South
White Knight
Woodhouse Reef
Abu Kifan
Abu Ramada South
Amphoras
Belina Wreck
Bluff Point
Eel Gardens
Fiddle Garden
Giannis D
Gordon Reef
Laguna Reef
Lighthouse
Moray Garden - Golden Blocks
Napoleon Reef
Paradise
Pinky Wall
Ras Bob
Ras Nasrani
Shark Observatory
Small Crack
The Alternatives
Thomas Reef
Turft El Shahed
Turtle Reef
North Ras Abu Galum
Abu Hashish
Abu Nuhas
Abu Ramada North
Banana Reef
Big Giftun
Blue Hole - El Bells
Careless Reef
Carnatic
Chrisoula K
Daedalus Reef
Dunraven (Beacon Rock)
Eel Garden
El Erug
El Fanadir
El Fanous West
El Mina Wreck
Erg Abu Ramada
Erg Sabina
Erg Somaya
Far Garden
Gota Abu Ramada