Clams...
Clams, such as the northern quahog, are bivalves, meaning that they have shells consisting of two halves, or valves. The valves are joined at the top, and the adductor muscles on each side hold the shell closed. If the adductor muscles are relaxed, the shell is pulled open by ligaments located on each side of the umbo.

The clam's foot is used to dig down into the sand, and a pair of long siphons that extrude from the clams's mantle out the side of the shell reach up to the water above (only the exit points for the siphons are shown). Clams, such as the northern quahog, are filter feeders. Water and food particles are drawn in through one siphon to the gills where tiny, hair-like cilia move the water, and the food is caught in mucus on the gills. From there, the food-mucus mixture is transported along a groove to the palps which push it into the clam's mouth. The second siphon carries away the water. The gills also draw oxygen from the water flow.

The mantle, a thin membrane surrounding the body of the clam, secretes the shell. The oldest part of the clam shell is the umbo, and it is from the hinge area that the clam extends as it grows.

Thanks to The Assateague Naturalist website for some of this information.