California Jackknife Clam Shell, Tagelus californianus

The California Jackknife Clam, Tagelus californianus, is a bivalve mollusk that is a member of the Solecurtidae Family of Short Razor Clams. The shells are rectangular to elongated oval in profile and they are always much longer than they are high and most are only slightly inflated. These shells resemble folded straight razors from which they receive their common name. They tend to be thin in composition and are equivalve (both valves similar in size and shape). The majority have little or no external sculpture.

Short Razor Clams reside buried in sand or mud, sometimes digging burrows up to 50 cm (20 inches) deep. They are able to move, but seldom move great distances. They are suspension and deposit feeders, feeding on plankton and detritus that drift by or that are deposited on the surface of the substrate. Short Razor Clams are preyed upon by shore birds, crabs, fish, carnivorous mollusks and sea stars.

Most Short Razor Clams in this Family live in shallow water but some are found at depths greater than 150 m (500 feet). They are found worldwide, in tropical and temperate seas. There are forty-five know species in the Family of which five are found along the Baja Peninsula.