Alternate name: Horseneck Clam
Family: Mactridae, Surf Clams view all from this family
Description 8" (20 cm) long, 4 3/4" (121 mm) high. Oval-oblong, large, strong. Yellowish, with shaggy, brown periostracum, worn off upper part. Valves equal; gape at rear end for siphons, not large enough to permit complete retraction of all soft parts; umbones low, smooth, nearer front end. Surface with fine concentric growth lines. Siphons fused into long neck covered with rough, dark skin; pair of tough siphonal plates at tip.
Habitat In sandy mud in bays and protected places; from low-tide line to water 95' (29 m) deep.
Range British Columbia to Baja California.
Discussion The Gaper Clam lives in a burrow as much as 36" (1 m) deep, and extends its long neck up to the surface of the bottom. Tufts of algae and sedentary invertebrates grow on the hard siphonal plates at either side of the neck. Gapers are used both as human food and as fish bait.
