Habitat and Lifestyle
Their habitat is the lower intertidal zones on out to waters as deep as 50–60 feet (13-15 m). They prefer sand, mud, and gravel substrates, normally burying themselves 12–16 inches (30–41 cm), so they are much easier to dig than geoducks. Their preferred substrates are also preferred by butter and littleneck clams, so horse clams are often taken incidentally in commercial harvesting.
Horse clams often have a relationship with small commensal pea crabs, Pinnixa faba, often a mating pair, which enter through the large siphon and live within the mantle cavity of the horse clam. The crabs are easily seen and in no way affect the clam as food. The meat is good and makes excellent chowder. They tend to be ignored by sport diggers in Washington but not in Oregon.
Horse clams are broadcast spawners like geoducks; T. nuttalii spawns in summer and T. capax in winter.
Read more about this topic: Tresus Capax
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