The mussel is a mollusk, the scientific name is the Pacific clam, "mussel" is its trade name. It belongs to the phylum Mollusca, the class Bivalvia, the order Hirundinae, the family Diving Clam, and the genus Neptune Clam.

The elephant mussel is the largest known burrowing bivalve, shell length of about 18-23 cm, the water tube can be extended 1.3 meters, can not be retracted into the shell, the weight of the shell can be up to 3.6 kilograms, is the genus of clams of large shellfish.

The clam's shell is thin and brittle, the two shells are small, usually equal. Elephant-braided mussel water pipe is extremely developed, thick water pipe can not be completely retracted into the shell, stay outside the shell part of some up to 10 centimeters long, in the shape of an elephant's snout, so the name elephant-braided mussel.

The water pipe of the mussel is both its respiratory organ and its feeding organ. The clam sucks seawater through the water pipe, feeding on single-celled algae in seawater, but also filtering and eating sediments and organic debris.

Elephant-braided mussels