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A New Clam

On August 28, scientists announced a shell-shocking discovery! A new giant clam species has been found in the Red Sea. It is the first new living species of giant clam to be found in 20 years.

The clam lives only in shallow waters. Its shell is zigzag shaped. It can grow to be more than a foot wide. Similar fossils suggest that the species once grew to two feet and made up more than 80% of the giant clams in the Red Sea. Today, the clams appear to be critically endangered.

Scientists believe the species began to decline about 125,000 years ago, around the time early humans moved to the area. The clam's size made it an easy source of food.

The species' near wipeout could be one of the earliest examples of humans' overuse of marine resources, scientists say. "The changes in the clam's numbers and sizes are like a footprint that early modern humans left in the marine environment," researcher Claudio Richter told TFK.

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