There are many species of clams living in the Atlantic Ocean close to Barnegat Bay.
Ming the Clam 1499–2006 Age 507
Ming the clam was first discovered in Iceland in 2006 by a group of researchers from Bangor University in the United Kingdom.
Ming, along with 200 other ocean quahogs, were dredged up from the bottom of an Icelandic shelf and taken back to the Bangor labs for study as part of a larger research project on climate change.
The first examination into Ming’s age was figured out by counting the number of growth rings on its shell which placed the clam somewhere between 405 and 410-years-old.
In 2013, another assessment of Ming’s age was carried out counting bands which were measured on the sectioned surface of the outer shell margin and was confirmed by comparing the banding patterns with those on other shells that were alive at the same time; this determined the clam to have been about 507 years old when it was caught.
The revised age estimate is also supported by carbon-14 dating; marine biologist Rob Witbaard commented that he considers this second assessment accurate to within 1–2 years.
Many articles on the internet say things like :
“Scientists discover world’s oldest clam, killing it in the process”
“It’s a clamity! Ming the clam, the world’s oldest animal, killed at 507 years old by scientists trying to tell how old it was”
Pretty negative, right?
But a closer look at the story—”Clam-gate,” as the BBC called it—finds the tempest over Ming a bit overblown.
Contrary to news reports, the researchers say they did not kill the elderly clam for the ironic-seeming purpose of finding out its age.
Ming was one of about 200 clams that were collected live from the Icelandic shelf in 2006.
All 200 clams were killed when they were frozen on board in preparation for travel back to the U.K.
Some things about Ming
Hafrún was the original nickname given the clam (Ming) dredged up in Iceland.
- Although Ming is the oldest clam discovered, there may be many older clams still out there.
- The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644.
- The clam was given the name Ming because he (or she – sex undetermined) was born in 1499.
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