Kids discover

A gaggle of center schoolers made a stunning discovery whereas “having fun with the outside” at river in northern Maryland over the weekend. The youngsters had been exploring Winters Run, a 14-mile river in Harford County, once they opened a clam and located a pearl inside, the Maryland Division of Pure Assets mentioned on Sunday.

Corbicula clams, just like the one seen in Winters Run, are a part of an invasive species that doesn’t originate in Maryland however has been discovered there earlier than. The mollusks are additionally known as Asian clams or golden clams, and may dwell “on the muddy or sandy bottoms” of lakes and streams, in accordance with the Maryland State Archives. 

“Like all clams, it has the capability to provide pearls,” the division of pure sources wrote in posts asserting the children’ “cool discover” on social media. “That is clearly very uncommon, so these children obtained fortunate!” 

Native to Asia, Africa and Australia, Corbicula clams had been initially seen within the U.S. within the Thirties, in accordance with the U.S. Division of Agriculture. The clams had been present in Washington state on the time, and the division mentioned they could have first arrived as imported meals. At present, their presence is “widespread” all through the nation, they usually can reproduce in giant portions which have been recognized to clog pipes and waterways. The clams sometimes have an outer shell that’s yellow-green in coloration with white spots, and an inside shell that’s purple.