This Clam Sinks Ships

How does a clam eat wood, anyway? Shipworms have been ruining our day for centuries; maybe the time has come to ruin theirs.
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#BizarreBeasts #shipworms #clams
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Sources:
hakaimagazine.com/features/cl...
www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/sc...
www.wired.com/2015/06/absurd-...
www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/sc...
hakaimagazine.com/features/cl...
animaldiversity.org/accounts/...
whatsinaname.hmnh.harvard.edu...
research.northeastern.edu/nor...
www.science.org/content/artic...
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073...
royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
www.britannica.com/animal/shi...
www.frontiersin.org/articles/...
news.northeastern.edu/2020/12...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
www.wittenberg.edu/sites/defa...
carnegiemnh.org/eating-shipwo...
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Images:
www.gettyimages.com/detail/vi...
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www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/hi...
www.gettyimages.com/detail/vi...
figshare.com/articles/media/S...
www.inaturalist.org/observati...
www.gettyimages.com/detail/vi...
• Bivalvia
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas...
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• Snippet: Shipworms tha...
figshare.com/articles/figure/...
www.nature.com/articles/s4159...
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[@adamdubin1276]

I'm a Nav. Arch/Ocean Engineer, in my humble opinion the copper sheathing of ships was the single greatest breakthrough of the entire age of sail simply because it stopped those blasted worms from eating our ships!

[@SAOS451316]

i'm sure sailors agree; fouling duty is one of the worst jobs on an old sailing ship! the less you have to do the better.

[@canis2020]

What about lemons?

[@adamdubin1276]

@@canis2020 Kraut and citrus was a medical breakthrough, yes it staved off scurvy but that also affected people on land. Copper Sheathing was specifically an advancement in ocean engineering and naval architecture that allowed for the easier maintenance of ships and for them to stay in service longer by preventing fouling.

[@DemonKyle]

I would pick the Harrison Clock. Without good navigation, you are pretty much screwed.

[@downinthevalley9757]

"stop eating holes in my ship!!"

[@brianedwards7142]

Considering most trees are salt sensitive it's amazing that a marine animal has evolved into this niche of eating driftwood.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

on the other hand, that makes it an otherwise untapped niche. Somewhat hard to fill, but you have no real competition

[@theOrionsarms]

Considering that dead trees are drifted into sea in the last few hundred of milion of years isn't surprising that ecological niche of eating that source of food was filled.

[@iyisusi9506]

@@theOrionsarms Exactly. And people building wooden structures on shores didn't exactly lower the food supply.

[@ManilaRyce]

It's no coincidence shipworms are most abundant in the tropics in mangrove forest habitats.

[@NinjaSushi2]

Giant isopods also eat drift wood.

[@demetrialowther727]

These pestilent molluscs are also the reason why Tasmania's Huon Pine (Lagarostrobus franklinii) was almost felled to extinction and also earned it's legendary status. Huon Pines were discovered to be immune to ship worms and basically everything that might otherwise rot or eat wood. The ancient trees, often living well past 1000 years old, had soft yet durable, easily worked wood that was laden in cedar-like resinoids and aromatic oils that instantly made it a sensation among early colonial Tasmanian ship builders. No need to paint the hulls of vessels or clad them in protective copper sheets to prevent shipworm consumption. Within barely a century, the trees were stripped from almost every river bank to feed the ravenous ship building industry until they were almost extinct. Today, the remaining stands are in national parks and the species is slowly recovering (very slowly given how slow the trees grow), but it's incredible what an impact the dread of shipworms had on what seeming was a totally unrelated species and ecosystem.

[@dgill441]

Wow. I’ve never heard of this tree, fascinating! Thanks for the comparison to Cedar helps me understand it better! We here in the USA felled waaaay too many cedars and giant sequoias for furniture and building and such. Learning about trees and plants in context of history I think makes you appreciate them much more.

[@gregdaweson4657]

You should plant a few

[@dgill441]

@@gregdaweson4657 I don’t think they’d survive the mid-Atlantic America climate ! But they sound interesting

[@gregdaweson4657]

@@dgill441 Imagine being a nerd about a tree that grows on the other side of the world.

[@dgill441]

@@gregdaweson4657 I can imagine it! I have a big garden so I love growing stuff !

[@Swishy_Blue]

Who needs giant claws or tentacles to take down a ship when you could just EAT IT.

[@pclouds]

If you eat a problem, you don't have a problem.

[@oriongurtner7293]

The real eldritch horrors were the shipworms we found along the way 🫠

[@hugmynutus]

> eats limestone hold up, you can't bury that lead

[@zwiebeldogs]

Yeah! I think we need a small part 2 about that one

[@rujamein]

The discovery was published back in 2019 and there's a good video titled 'A new genus/species - Lithoredo abatanica'.

[@rujamein]

And if you want to read the original research paper, it's called 'A rock-boring and rock-ingesting freshwater bivalve (shipworm) from the Philippines'

[@culwin]

*lede

[@FairMiles]

Don't turn the tables on the shipworms! They will eat them!

[@m1xedp1ckle]

Lmao

[@NinaDmytraczenko]

+

[@justaregularguy115]

Then just use a glass/metal/plastic/stone table on them.

[@mitchellskene8176]

Lithoredo, which is the limestone eating shipworm, is a fascinating creature in my opinion.

[@ProfAwesomeO]

I think its more fascinating that people make ships from limestone for them to eat/jk

[@weirdredpanda]

I would like to see a video in it specifically.

[@mitchellskene8176]

@@weirdredpanda Me too!! It's to my knowledge the closet thing on earth that you could say is a lithovore (consumer of rock), it's really fascinating!!

[@smexijebus]

I ate a bunch of rocks as a kid

[@pickles3128]

@@smexijebus Were you neurodivergent? Pica, specifically geophagy, can indicate autism, schizophrenia, or an intellectual disability. You could've also been suffering from malnutrition, iron deficiency, or anemia. (The latter, specifically, can indicate low hemoglobin concentration in their blood, lower levels of red blood cells, or lower plasma zinc levels.) Or you could've just been a kid: pica is common in toddlers and preschoolers, who put things in their mouth they find on the ground. I ate ants at age 4 until one bit me. The head remained clamped onto a papilla on my tongue, even after I swallowed the rest of the ant's body, and it was very painful.

[@robertojrantonio3443]

We eat these shipworms in the Philippines, we call it tamilok. It tastes like oyster but it has this grainy texture as you eat it, probably the wood dust the animal ate

[@oliverwells8011]

Raw or cooked?

[@robertojrantonio3443]

@@oliverwells8011 it’s best eaten raw

[@thesun6211]

Kinda curious if they could be cultivated, maybe by sinking or making rafts of logs in a natural or manmade mangal. It'd provide an additional source of Protein for nearby communities, and maybe allow more Food Production in an ecosystem that could produce oysters, shrimp, and possibly crabs as well as providing a nursery for fish.

[@TheScienceguy77]

@@robertojrantonio3443 it's best not eaten at all.

[@robertojrantonio3443]

@@TheScienceguy77 for people like you, it is best that you don’t even think about it.

[@notthecutestanimal8849]

HANK GREEN!!! My wallet will NEVER FORGIVE YOU if you keep producing all these amazing channels with such great merch!!! You’re teams are TOO GOOD at what they do for my own benefit. That being said, never stop doing what you’re doing. Sincerely a fan of Microcosmos, All the Scishows, Bizarre Beasts, Crash Course, and Eons

[@shegosilver4722]

Wait, are they all by the same guy? Incredible!

[@Charlie._.Niron22]

It's fascinating that an animal has evolved to fit into a niche of eating Driftwood! The one that eats Limestone atleast slightly makes sense, Maybe, Probably, Possibly.

[@left4twenty]

Limestone being made of essentially the same stuff as shells, and also having a decent number of embedded fossils, helps it make sense. It's like if we as humans found an apple mine, where we could just dig for apples

[@nogardmarith]

In southeast Asia, they are already on the menu

[@kyokoyumi]

Everything is on the menu in southeast Asia w

[@fitzy2313]

The best part of all this is that the most credited scientist throughout is literally named Dr. Shipway.

[@Devo491]

There's a few timbers that are virtually immune to shipworm. Teak is too tough, as any shipwright knows, and some timbers have such a high resin count, the worm won't touch them. Among these are a couple of Australian timbers, both very rare: Fraser Is Satinay and Huon pine are both famous for their long life in the ocean.

[@Avohaj]

I certainly would never have guess that a Bizarre Beasts video would ever end on "lets try to eat it"

[@TheDimsml]

You should definitely check out the lionfish. One of the suggested ways to deal with this invasive species is catching and eating them.

[@apdroidgeek1737]

If they dont have predators… we become one

[@KxNOxUTA]

@@apdroidgeek1737 Just spread the rumour that it enhances libido and the worm will be at the brink of extinction in absolutely no time. We have so many examples of this happening, it's guaranteed to work. :'3

[@Feanne]

I've eaten one of these raw, it was pretty good! It's a local delicacy; they are common in mangrove habitats ("tamilok" in the Philippines)

[@mrpickles-hb6zx]

Ew.

[@vila777_]

@@mrpickles-hb6zxthat’s what hindi people think when americans eat cows, or muslims when they see people eating pigs. it goes both ways.

[@AlbertaGeek]

Ship worm: engages in something called pseudo-copulation Me: who knew I'd have something in common with a ship worm?

[@timothylee8494]

I mean people do eat them in Indonesia and South America. Split open some wood, pull out the stomach, and drizzle some seasoning. Supposedly it resembles oysters in flavor

[@rujamein]

This is a super video, thank you to the Bizarre Beasts team for putting this together.

[@wendyrobertson3899]

I spent an entire summer with my Dad digging worms out of the bottom of a 70 year old boat. We used a propane torch to heat the wood enough to bring the worms to the surface and then used a hooked implement to reach in and pull the worms out dumping them into grain alcohol, essentially pickling them. It was hot hard work but the end product was so much fun to take out to open waters. Dad and I got to do her first run from the south of the island to the north of the island. I think I liked the painting part the best. The copper paint was the hardest but most rewarding part of the summer. It went from a gray to beautiful blue when the sprayer swung from side to side. I gotta admit, picking worms from the hull of the boat was pretty gross but patching the holes they left was pretty interesting getting to squeeze in the sawdust and glue mixture then sanding it a week later. Love y'alls videos! Keep am coming!

[@cameronroman9271]

Incredible axolotl top!

[@KaleidoSTARPH]

these guys are called "Tamilok" in 🇵🇭, and they usually found in mangrooves resevoir as they eat those to control the somewhat exploding population, the local fishermen usually catch and sell them on markets its mostly eaten raw 🤯

[@Captopia]

Great and interesting video. I also loved that axolotl print on the dress.

[@kyrab7914]

I missed that ty

[@ZwrP]

they are already eaten over in Philippines, i think they were called "tamilok" over there

[@americaroleplayer]

Wouldn't a sea monster that's just a giant shipworm be something else?

[@andii64]

They're the termites of the sea.

[@hannahluke9381]

How did it figure out it could start eating wood. Like I know evolution is kind of random at times but like. What did they do before we started building all these ships and docks? Is there that much driftwood in the ocean?

[@beverleybee1309]

That's a good question.

[@kyrab7914]

It could be a niche that was only opened when we started building ships and stuff.

[@Jose-xh5qb]

They live in mangrove forests too. Some pieces of mangrove might have been washed out to the sea and that's how they spread through the ocean.

[@beverleybee1309]

@@kyrab7914 while I am certain that we were responsible for their world wide distribution, shipworms are not the only marine organisms that feed on land plants. So it is unlikely that we are responsible for their evolution. It is much more likely that they had smaller and isolated populations before we started dropping forests into the oceans.

[@kyrab7914]

@@beverleybee1309 I never said we were responsible for their evolution. Idk what their ancestors were, but we've seen time and time again that when an environment changes, organisms will adapt and radiate to fill niches. It's possible we opened the niche for them, they definitely wouldn't be as successful without us idt.

[@J11_boohoo]

In the philippines, some locals dive really deep into the ocean to catch the giant shipworms for food

[@letstalktech8894]

So glad I found this channel! You guys are awesome 🎉

[@canis2020]

When I grow up I want to be a broadcast spawner.

[@cerberaodollam]

Tbh mood

[@Zappygunshot]

During the explorative expeditions of the Vikings, the North Atlantic was also named the Sea of Worms, likely because of this critter. If not for the humble shipworm, the Vikings would've likely not only made it to North America much earlier (their ships and sailors were both excellent at their jobs); their colonisation efforts might've been much more extensive. Not having to stop over in frigid Greenland to pull the worms out of your ships' hulls and somehow source new wood for repairs in what's essentially a gigantic icy desert would've made travelling back and forth much, much easier.

[@YangLeee]

What a cool fascinating video. This is why I love KZbin, sometimes. Saying Hello from Denver Colorado:)

[@Steveofthejungle8]

You should do an episode on the Saiga!

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

They are indeed bizarre beasts!

[@MRptwrench]

I've seen the work of an artist who took a mass of reclaimed marine wood/timber that was full of holes (don't know if it was shipworms) and after what I imagine was intense cleaning, filled and encased it in acrylic. It was an extremely odd shaped piece, but the artist trimmed it just enough to form the base of an exclusive and invaluable coffee table. The colors and shapes in that piece allowed the viewer to imagine where the piece was encased in silt or muck, what kind of climate it was in, what it's orientation to the currents and sunlight were, where pieces of the original had fallen apart, been entirely corrupted or broke off, and how life was able to latch on it. Or maybe it was just a neat looking thing.

[@rocketRobScott]

“Eat Our Boats” is a funny slogan.

[@paolomr]

In a few places in the Philippines, they're actually a delicacy so … might as well right.

[@amiralozse1781]

your axolotl dress - awesome and neardy at the same time! loveing it

[@likebot.]

If I had to guess, I'd say these little critters evolved from life found around hydrothermal vents.

[@Devin_Stromgren]

I would argue that shipworms had it even tougher prior to the invention of boats when driftwood was their ONLY food/home.

[@aarav_sharma]

this vid was really great

[@billnopost1594]

It is exotic delicacy in the Philippines.

[@windlessoriginals1150]

Thank you

[@TheaSvendsen]

According to Google, it seems there are few, if any at all, natural predators to shipworms. So we really do need to start eating them if they become too big a problem - same as with the invasive lion fish in Florida.

[@dgill441]

Yea but the shipworm doesn’t sting you if you try to catch it!!

[@astick5249]

I love the pin design for this one

[@inkynewt]

Thank you!

[@thomazxaviercarneiro3697]

I live in the Brazilian Amazon and it's eaten as a delicacy in some cities here, as it's easily found in the estuary/mangroves/coast of the region. Just look for turu in Google images. It may look a bit disgusting, but clams and octopuses aren't exactly cute and people eat it all around.

[@shaider1982]

Shipworms were the inspirstion on the first under ground tunneling techniques and later machines where the tunnel are reinforced while boring is being done. Shipworms are quite tasty. I have eaten some raw, with vinegar in Palawan , Philippines. I think they were also still alive.

[@littlewoodimp]

Found this deeper dive into the clams themselves very interesting. Living in North Wales not far from Anglesey, and very close to the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park where the copper was hammered into sheets (amongst other things), I've learned more about the human history rather than the 'worm'. The Valley does also acknowledge how this made our small part of the world so important to the trade in human misery of slavery. Worthwhile area for a holiday if you're into the naval history, as between Anglesey and Greenfield you can also visit the oldest copper mine in the UK (and largest Bronze Age mine in the world) at Llandudno.

[@robertmcgovern8850]

Thank you for that clip 9f the Giant Shipworm. That's this evening's nightmare sorted.😳😱 There is a marine isopod called 'gribble' that eats wood too.

[@jtalfes]

Excellent

[@djquinn11]

The narrator is fantastic , great job!

[@mikemarcott1141]

I'm laughing so hard and your video caught my eye so I subscribed to you though but yeah I'm laughing my ass off this Mission Point

[@jstchllng]

A famous delicacy here in the Philippines😋😂

[@everythingsalright1121]

i like how the photo credit for the shipworms is "Dr Reuben Shipway". Shipway and he studies stuff that eats ships, how fitting

[@Zaniahiononzenbei]

That shirt is the cutest thing I've ever seen, Jesus Christ. Your aesthetic is perfection.

[@JahLuvzU]

I am actually interested, @6:04 , being omnivores, sure, we /can/ eat them, but how much preparation would it need to be consumed by free will?

[@jackstone4291]

And are a delicacy to eat (it’s said) and are readily consumed, by some locals in some countries like the Philippines too.

[@user-ef4gf7rr9r]

Just found it kind of funny that the opening ship is the brig Niagara (pretty sure), which was (and recreated is) confined to the Great Lakes rather than the ocean.

[@motaparatu]

Don't termites also have bacteria that help them digest cellulose? I think that in termites they live in their stomachs though.

[@zombiedad]

Please do slime mould. I know it is not technically a beast but it is sooooo weird. So weird.

[@zombiedad]

Another awesoganother great video about a super bizarre beast

[@ApequH]

That is a great pin

[@justdoingitjim7095]

Euell Gibbons was a naturalist that advocated for eating wild things, mostly plants. Pine nuts and other "forest fare" were likely on his menu at times. He was recognized satirically in 70's TV shows as someone who'd eat anything made of wood. Sonny and Cher presented him a wooden plaque (an edible prop) of which he promptly took a bite of on stage. On the Carol Burnett Show in 1973, he was shown eating tree parts and asking related questions, including "Ever lick a river?" Some people even stated that "even your picnic table isn't safe around Gibbons."

[@jasper265]

I felt like I was watching a Hank Green production even though it was presented by a face and voice I hadn't seen or heard before, on a channel I hadn't watched before. And then maternal mortality in Sierra Leone was mentioned and I just had to dig into this to see if this was a coincidence or not. It wasn't and apparently I wasn't just seeing a Hank-like style, I was actually watching something he actually had a hand in...

[@Sanguen666]

"You will live in the ships, and eat the worms (and be happy)!"

[@ShortBusScotty]

I know of a bearded clam that sinks lives.

[@flipflopwinter2089]

I saw someone broadcast spawning on the train this morning.

[@brandondavidson4085]

Aren't we all just long tubes that eat weird things?

[@trinkab]

Pseudocopulation for these is one of the few mating options I've seen where the supermarket donor has at much at risk as the egg donor.

[@safaiaryu12]

I love your axolotl shirt/dress!

[@tender-warrior]

I NEED TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GET THAT SHIRT I WANT IT SO BAD

[@SarahSutaMFA]

Ha! Thanks! It is a DRESS!!! I got it at a shop in Spokane (Fuego) and the tag says it is from a company called "Attic Salt."

[@tender-warrior]

@@SarahSutaMFA IT'S A DRESS??? I want it EVEN MORE now hahahaha. Thank you very very much for the swift reply and for the brand name. Time to do some googling. :)

[@youthoughtitwasbadbefore6134]

Have you any idea how much wood washed in from rivers around the world would be gathering up on the sea floor? Literally millions of metric tons is deposited in our oceans on a regular basis. Without the wood eating clams the wood would become saturated with water and sink. It literally would never go away. In my book those clams are the hero not the villain of this story.

[@Mr.Anders0n_]

Well, the same goes for fungi on land. Sure, it's an essential part of the ecosystem, but it's difficult to admire it when it starts growing on a $1000+ camera lens, destroying it with its poop/waste. Yeah, it's a thing people with expensive photography gear have to worry about. Learned about it the hard way :)

[@MrMegaPussyPlayer]

4:46 Like the 7 dwarves: Make a circle! Make circle!

[@JossOwX]

Ah yes, sea termites

[@greenhorn6582]

Would you like to tell me where to get the dress with the axolotl texture?

[@shadowwolf9823]

Oh my god. I thought these were just AI generated clickbait. But it's real

[@mellissadalby1402]

Oh boy! Linguine and White Clam sauce! Yum! I would thow in a few Scallops for good measure too.

[@evanderchan8475]

I can't believe back in the the days sailor didn't think of eating this delicacy, they taste amazing

[@lindinle]

1:46 more like a human centipede mixed with the doughnut of dispair.

[@theishiopian68]

I saw in a documentary once that these little guys inspired modern tunneling techniques, like Tunnel Boring Machines.

[@johnlshilling1446]

Eat Shipworms? Anyone that has spent time on the three US coasts knows that the different algeas, in the different waters, that clams and oysters eat... drastically change the taste of these delicious critters. Imagine what wood eating worms would taste like - with their bacteria producing toxic gasses and weird enzymes... How about you going first?

[@everybodyyogastudio212]

Oh my!! So they can be somewhat like marsupials too?! Where is this ‘brood pouch’??? ! I must know lol these things are nuts. Unexpectedly My favorite bizarre beast so far i must say and that means a lot haha

[@pimcramer2569]

Hell, they almost sank Amsterdam. Edit: did some futher reading: in 1730 it arrived in the netherlands and almost or partially flooded some provinces because it ate the wood used in the dykes.

[@knightshade6232]

Did you know in the PHILIPPINES...their is also a shipworm that eats only rocks for the rest of its life...😅😂 🪱 Scientists says that they can digest rocks thanks to their gut bacteria.

[@jrzlz]

In North Brazil they eat a kid of shipworm soup called "Caldo de Turu " must be realy brave ngl

[@Mussoi7000]

FAR ACROSS THE SEA, ZOMBIES WAIT FOR ME

[@meese9140]

I’d sure call a boring clam a sea monster!

[@sandracampbell4708]

I'm digging that axlotl shirt.

[@Bb13190]

I should not have watched this episode while having my breakfast.

[@mikemarcott1141]

What I want to know who is on third base! Also there's a blue light special on aisle 4!

[@NewMessage]

Awwwwwww ship! A new BB vid!

[@nicholasjoseph9062]

So on land we have termites and in the ocean we have sea termite?

[@GymGirl88]

Big tripaphobia warning lmao

[@ASPINLOVE]

Unfortunately, its illegal to catch/consume The Philippine Giant Shipworm.

[@danzifer]

I wreak havok on any wood that comes my way too

[@RedHerring1290]

I will not live in a pod, I will not eat the ship worms.

[@jonsey3645]

Nice show, very informative and good production quality but the outstanding feature is the narrator. She should be in Hollywood getting proper exposure and playing roles suited for her incredible beauty and talent! This is not meant to be forward or sound creepy, I just had to pay thus humble compliment. Thanks for the educational channel.

[@EclipseOverSalem]

I guessed right!!!

[@szupko]

a thought on their future. Ocean Acidification might reduce their ability to produce their shells and/or destroy their shells

[@eljanrimsa5843]

When they go extinct, do we have to worry about driftwood accumulating in the ocean?

[@tyler___3]

Coral reefs are alive!

[@natebell4764]

Yall need to make a new channel called grotesque goobers for these kinds of videos. My coffee is sitting kind of funny in my tumtum now.

[@Fredministrator]

how do they taste? Do they go with garlic?