there are sand clams which have thinner shells than the mud clam - same family but due to environment the shells differ...
there are hen clams which can be as large as 6" arcoss the back and 4" across the front - hen clams you can find just by walking carefully barefoot in the shallow surf - when you step and feel a noticable "snap" under foot there is a hen clam - great in chowders
up here in New England if you happen to find a pile of clam shells by the shore (usually around little bays and inlets) chances a very good that it is the leftovers from a "clam bake" put there by native indians from long ago - the Abnaki's were nomadic and came down from the north in the winter where they subsisted in sea food of all kinds - if you excavate the area you may find artifacts also left behind dating back hundreds of years
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