Paphia (bivalve)

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/paphia--bivalve-

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Paphia
2. What is the family?Veneridae (Venus clams)
3. What are Paphia clams?They are a type of sea clam that has lived in oceans for more than 100 million years. Paphia clams have two hinged shells and live buried in sandy or muddy sea floors.
4. How old are Paphia clams?Fossils show they first appeared about 112 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, so they have lived alongside dinosaurs.

Benthic Zone: The ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, including the sediment surface.
Paleontology: The scientific study of fossils and ancient life.
Obligate Filter Feeder: An organism that relies exclusively on filtering food particles from its environment for survival.