An 11-year-old boy in the American state of Rhode Island recently discovered an unusual example of sea life. He found what is thought to be one of the largest quahogs ever found in the state. Quahogs are a kind of large clam that is eaten as food.
Cooper Monaco was looking for clams with his grandfather when he found the large creature. Monaco gave it to the University of Rhode Island’s Marine Science Research Facility in Narragansett, the university said in a recent statement.
The clam is 14.5 centimeters across and weighs nearly 1.3 kilograms. The Department of Environmental Management for the state does not keep quahog records. But a usual quahog grows to about 10 centimeters across, the university said.
Monaco described how he found the creature in a statement.
“I was down on my hands and knees in the water looking for clams, and I touched this huge rock thing,” he said. Monaco added, “I always pull out rocks and throw them to the side and look under them. And then I felt the edge of it and I thought, ‘holy moly, this is a clam.’”
Holy moly is an expression that shows surprise.
Monaco knew the quahog was unusually large, so he told his mother not to cook it.
Ed Baker, the manager of the URI Marine Science Research Facility, plans to put the quahog on display.
I’m John Russell.
John Russell adapted this story from reports by the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.
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Words in This Story
clam – n. a type of shellfish that lives in sand or mud, has a light-colored shell with two parts, and is eaten both cooked and raw
knee – n. the joint that bends at the middle of your leg
display – n. an arrangement of objects intended to decorate, advertise, entertain, or inform people about something
