Name: Tartarus Clams Description: The largest bivalve known to exist, Tartarus Clams are a magnificent sight. Their shells are very similar to the shells of giant clams back on Earth, however they are much larger and sturdier. Surrounding the edge of the shell are teeth-like prongs which lock the shell in place when it closes. Any animals that are unlucky enough to be inside the shell when it closes will be completely stuck until it opens again. They'll slowly starve and then decay, causing the inside of the shell to accumulate various bones and skeletons over time. In the midst of all this death sits a large hunk of soft pink meat. This is the actual ‘Tartarus Clam', which is really just one large, incredibly powerful muscle with a brain and gills. Behavior: Tartarus Clams don't do much, obviously. Because its internal feelers slowly get aggravated by the decaying animals that get trapped inside, Tartarus Clams open up once a month so a certain species of scavengers can peck out the fleshy bits and bones that remain, cleaning out the grossness. While these birds are capable of avoiding the feelers, if any predator attempts to climb into the shell and eat the fleshy center, the shell will quickly close. Once the shell is closed, anything unwanted gets wrapped up in the limber feelers and held in place until it starves, or in rare cases, breaks out. Tamability: No. Where is it found?: Tartarus clams live at the edge of the dropoffs near coasts. Rarity: They live either in isolation or in large clusters, usually surrounding islands and large atolls. Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: These clams filter a very high volume of water through their gills, extracting plankton and algae before ejecting the water out their back end. Products?: Tasty, tasty meat. On very, very rare occasions, a massive pearl will form inside the shell. Reproduction: Similar to Earth clams, females will excrete eggs and males excrete sperm to fertilize said eggs. They slowly grow, and eventually take their parent's place in the sand once they've passed away, pushing their parent's shells off into the open ocean. Size: These clams are roughly 96 feet long, 98 feet wide, and are 10 feet tall with both shells stacked up on top of eachother. Weight: ~430,000 lbs. Lifespan: They live up to roughly 1000 years, dying of exhaustion after opening and closing their massive shells once every month. Abilities: Their shells can withstand an extreme amount of force. Each clam grows about ten thousand separate ‘feelers', capable of moving and wrapping around intruders. The muscles used to open and close the two shells are extremely powerful. Very few creatures are strong enough to lift the upper shell, meaning once it closes, it's closed for good. Many predators attempt to feast on the clam's tasty flesh, few succeed. Most get wrapped up in the tendrils as the shell closes around them, trapping the unfortunate soul until it either drowns or dies of dehydration/starvation. Flaws: If the clam has a birth defect or the muscle is damaged, it will be unable to open the shell. This isn't fatal, but the clam will spend the rest of its life suffering mild irritation from bones and sand swishing against its feelers. Certain predators capable of swift flight or are strong enough to break out of the tendril's grasp can bypass the clam's natural defense system, snagging a good chunk of its meat before the shell has a chance to close. Certain creatures are strong enough to lift the shell as well. There's nothing the clam can do to stop this. It's quite easy to just burn through the shell.
