Giant Clams. I lost an old friend this year. In October I visited a favourite dive site Bobs Bommie (I guess I modestly named this one after myself) where a massive coral rock with a double swim-through at the top rises from 50m of water next to a large shallow reef. There are beautiful stands of Black Coral, Elephant Ear Sponges, Sea Fans and zillions of fish. On top of the shallow reef was a Giant Clam that I have photographed for more than 30 years. When I went to see my massive friend, which could have been between 80 and 100 years old, I was horrified to see that it was on its side and unable to open and collect sunlight essential for its survival. It was still alive but looked sick and feeble. I think that the clam must have shifted during cyclone Ita which started in the area and hung around for over a week. But that was back in April. I dug a hole in the coral rubble, wedged myself under the clam and, with a few herculean and wetsuit-ripping heaves, got it almost upright again. I hoped it would survive - but alas when I returned in November it was dead and the shell cleaned out. Nearby is a younger clam well embedded in the coral so I still have a friend to pay attention to. And now I see this wonderful piece of research. You would not have seen this a few years ago when the alarmists fought to have papers falsifying their pathetic Climate Change theory banned from publication - you will not hear about it from the dinosaurs at the ABC either .. nor the Greens of course. But here it is… wattsupwiththat/2015/01/05/hottest-year-ever-giant-clam-reveals-middle-ages-were-warmer-than-today/
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 05:49:22 +0000
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