After a half day inside attending a workshop at the Filberg Lodge in Comox, BC I definitely needed a little fresh air and a nature break. The Filberg sits right down on the water in Comox, with a fine view of Goose Spit across a shallow muddy bay. The tide was low in the late afternoon when the workshop ended and the weather was an unstable mix of sun and clouds threatening rain. The light was spectacular.

Ideal Habitat for Clams

The beach at this part of Comox Bay is a mix of fine mud and gravel. It is littered with the remains of the creatures that live here. Littleneck clam shells abound and no matter how careful you are the empty shells crunch underfoot. A fine layer of muck and slimy algae covers most of the clam shells on this beach. Barnacles grow thick on anything that provides an anchor – clam shells, rocks, wooden pilings, old discarded pieces of metal. 

Bent-nosed Clam

As I searched through the Littleneck shells for something that was not stained with algae or mud, I discovered a small Bent-nosed Clam (Macoma nasuta). This bivalve is distinctive. Like the name suggests the shell has a slightly bent shape at the point where the siphon emerges. The Bent-nosed Clam is a native species of clam in British Columbia. It can tolerate the fine mud and low oxygen levels present in this muddy bay.

Why is it that shape? The Bent-nosed Clam prefers to lie on its side 10 to 15 cm below the surface of the mud. It then sends up its long orange siphons through the substrate drawing water, fine sediment and food particles in through the long incurrent siphon. Waste water is expelled through the excurrent siphon. The clam moves slowly sideways to a new location when done. The bend indicates which side is up and which side is down. The bend of the shell points towards the surface of the mud. Bent-nosed Clams retain a lot of sediment making them an undesirable species to harvest.

Distinctive Characteristics

The shell of the Bent-nosed Clam is fairly fragile. The outer shell is mainly white but the remains of a thin brown varnish is visible on most fresh shells. The inner shell is a beautiful white colour and when spread open sort of resembles a pair of elephant’s ears. The upward bend of the shell is distinctive in profile and a sure way to separate this clam from other macomas.

After poking around on the mudflats for close to 45 minutes the light faded and my feet were wet. Note that rubber boots are appropriate footwear for mudflat exploration. I’ll be back tomorrow for the second day of the workshop. Hopefully I will have a little more time afterwards to meet more of the fascinating inhabitants of this interesting ecosystem. I’ll definitely be bringing my gumboots!

You might also enjoy reading this humourous encounter with a Bent-nosed Clam at Rock Paper Lizard.