There Is a "Mollusk of the Year" Competition

Is there a talent or swimsuit competition? I'm not sure, but we know that the competition is stiff from a hard calcium carbonate shell.

CU Boulder Today, a publication of the University of Colorado at Boulder, reports that the Senckenberg Institutes in Germany holds an annual competition which declares one mollusc to be "the coolest."

There are over 86,000 identified species in the phylum Mollusca, but only one can claim this annual honor.

Among the top contenders is the moon clam (Ephippodonta lunata), which can be found off the coast of southwestern Australia. The moon clam was nominated by CU Boulder researchers, so the campus is abuzz with excitement that the moon clam has made it to the final five possible winners.

-via David Thompson | Photos: Western Australia Museum