Clam-Eyed Fish

Clam-eyed fish are a small species of fish endemic to the boiling Atigeo Sea of Hell.

Anatomy

Clam-eyed fish grow to a maximum of 3cm as an adult. They are a greyish-yellow colour, with small blue spots along their sides that resemble the eyes of a clam. They have streamlines bodies, with a pair of large eyes and a hole just before their tails.

They have a larger dorsal fin just above their heads, and three smaller fins that act more as spines at the base close to the tail, with a paddle shaped tail fin. Clam-eyed fish have a pair of small pelvic fins and a large anal fin with a sharp point.

Diet

These fish are carnivores, using their small but sharp and powerful beaks to rip their prey apart. They exclusively eat clams, where they will make their homes and slowly eat their fleshy interiors until there is no more. Once an entire clam has been eaten, they will move on to another. Typically they live in atigean clams, a giant clam species that grow up to ten feet wide. These clams feed the fish for most of their lives, sometimes feeding multiple.

Parasitism

Clam-eyed fish are a parasitic species. They share this relationship with many clam species, but most commonly the atigean clam. These clams are a subspecies of giant clam, and clam-eyed fish use their strong beaks to pry the animals open, and live inside for their entire lives, hiding away from predators and slowly eating all of the meat inside them.

As a defense mechanism, a subspecies of atigean clam has arisen with toxic meat, that kills the fish and therefore prevents the clams from being eaten.

Lifespan

10 years

Average Length

3 cm

Geographic Distribution

• Atigeo Sea
• Hell

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