Manila clam
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Manila clam larvae settle on the seabed and attach to rocks or shells with threads.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Manila clam
- Scientific name
- Ruditapes philippinarum
- Japanese name
- アサリ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Bivalvia
- Order
- Venerida
- Family
- Veneridae
- Genus
- Ruditapes
A clam with a hard shell that lives buried in the bottom of tidal flats at river mouths and in shallow water.
It pokes chimney-like tubes out from between its shells, sucking water in through one and pushing it out through the other.
How the Manila clam lives
At low tide, it closes its shells tightly and waits to feed until seawater covers it again. Males and females release sperm and eggs into the water. As larvae, they drift in the sea and can be carried to other beaches by currents.
Fisheries and Oceans CanadaBasic data
- Size
- Shell size: about 40 mm
- Diet
- Phytoplankton and organic matter
- Range
- Coasts from Hokkaido to Kyushu
Where the Manila clam has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- アサリ
- 简体中文
- 菲律宾蛤仔
- 繁體中文
- 菲律賓簾蛤
- 한국어
- 바지락
- Español
- Almeja japonesa
- Français
- Palourde japonaise
- Deutsch
- Japanische Teppichmuschel
- Italiano
- Vongola verace filippina
- Русский
- Петушок тихоокеанский
- ไทย
- หอยอาซาริ
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — アサリChecked: 2026-11-03
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Manila Clam (Ruditapes philippinarum)Checked: 2026-11-06
- Marine Biological Association — Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum)Checked: 2026-11-06
- IUCN — Venerupis (Ruditapes) philippinarumChecked: 2026-11-06
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Manila clam, look for this
- Compare the shell patterns, which come in varied colors such as black and brown.
- Look for ridges spreading outward across the shell.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園Marine Biological AssociationEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Manila clam
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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