Aquatic life is a life underwater bodies, there are plenty of aquatic animals and plants which cannot survive without water. Their body system is adapted to survive in water. Unlike human beings they have special features that help them to adapt in such situations.
There are a huge variety of animals and plants seen in aquatic water bodies. Fishes are cliche but there are different animals as well like porpoise, shrimps, dugong, etc.. In plants there are water hyacinth, water poppy, mosaic flowers, etc..
Some of the aquatic animals are edible and said to be the most nutritious, there are places which are settled on the banks of coastal regions, and thus the seafood becomes their staple food. Seafood is said to have high nutritional value and without any compromise with taste.
There is a large variety of seafood available across the world. Seafood is best known for the iodine content in it. Every type of seafood will provide iodine to some extent. People who have a deficiency of iodine are often recommended seafood. For example; fishes, shrimps, molluscs, octopus, etc..
Mussels vs Clams
The main difference between Mussels and Clams is their appearance and taste. Both of them belong to the bivalve molluscs family but still have differences in their texture, appearance and taste.
Comparison Table Between Mussels and Clams
| Parameters of Comparison | Mussels | Clams |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Soft and tender | Rubbery |
| Taste | Mild salty | Moderately salty |
| Color | Blue, green, or balck | Tan, white, or beige |
| Shape | Long and pointed | Round |
| Price | low | high |
What is Mussels?
Mussels is a name commonly used for families of bivalve molluscs. Mussels shellfishes that are edible although some of them are not. They are considered as seafood and are admired by several people.
Mussels have long and thin shapes, they are generally seen in blue, balck, or green colours. Their texture is chewy but soft and tender, they have natural ocean flavor rather than too salty like clams have.
Mussels are always eaten cooked, it is popular in curry sauces. They are often steamed or cooked with wine. They can be found in both freshwater or the saltywater, the edible bivalve comes from the marine family mytilidae.
Mussels are attached with thread structure known as a byssal thread which helps them to form a substrate.Mussels are low in price because of the zero input, which means that they do it need to be any food or fertilizers.
Sometimes there is a black substance present in a mussel, that balck substance is probably plankton, it is a sort of food which is stuck in the digestive tract of the mussel. There are a lot of wway to eat mussels one of the famous curry which includes mussels is the thai curry.
Mussels are a great source of protein, they have high zinc content along with iron. They are low in calories and fat, and have other great nutrients and minerals which are accompanied by the aesthetic taste of mussels.
Mussels are a great source of nutrients but still eating too much of them can cause problems. It has been observed that sometimes mussels or the molluscs family can cause poisoning in the human body and can lead to problems of diarrhea, vomiting, neurotoxic effects, etc..
What is Clams?
Clam is a common name used for several bivalve molluscs family.they are edible, although some of them are not. They are generally considered as seafood, they hide in sediments and are found only in salty water.
Clams are found in oval shape, they have round and stouter bodies.. They are generally found in tan, beige, or white colours. They are bigger in size, probably 500 pounds in weight and 4.25 feet in length, when compared to mussels.on of its species is consumed indulging in clam chowder.
Clams are eaten raw and cooked, they have a salty taste unlike mussels. They have chewy texture but bit rubbery, it’s salty flavor is it’s actual delicious taste. they are not found attached like muscles rather found buried in sediments.
Clams are high in price when compared to mussels, the reason for their high cost is the clams are not easy to cultivate like mussels, they need to be found in sand and then cultivated to develop them, food is also provided.
Clams are found generally on seashore, they consist of seafood as they cannot live without water for more than 2 or 3 days. When cooking a clam there is an opening present from which eating them is possible, opening that space does not kill them instantly.
Clams have an opening which gets open while cooking. If clams do not open then they are dead or full of mud.clams should be eaten cooked as they can be poisonous to the human body if eaten undercooked or raw.
References
- https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-environmental-sciences/jes15-1-03