Over the weekend, a group of middle school students were “enjoying the outdoors” near a river in northern Maryland when they discovered a startling find. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the children were investigating Winters Run, a 14-mile river in Harford County, when they opened a clam and discovered a pearl within.
An invasive species that has been discovered in Maryland previously includes corbicula clams, like the one identified in Winters Run. According to the Maryland State Archives, the mollusks are also known as Asian clams or golden clams and may be found “on the muddy or sandy bottoms” of lakes and streams.
In social media postings heralding the youngsters’ “amazing discovery,” the department of natural resources said that the clam “has the potential to generate pearls, like other clams.” These youngsters were fortunate, since this is clearly exceedingly uncommon.
A few sixth and seventh graders were taking advantage of the great outdoors at Winters Run in Harford County when they discovered a pearl in a freshwater clam (Corbicula)! Although Corbicula is a non-native clam, it is capable of producing pearls. These youngsters were fortunate since this is quite uncommon.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Corbicula clams were first discovered in the United States in the 1930s. They are native to Asia, Africa, and Australia. The government said that the clams may have initially arrived as imported food when they were discovered in Washington State at the time. They are now “widespread” throughout the nation, and because of their high rates of reproduction, they have been known to block streams and pipelines. The clams often have a purple inner shell and an exterior shell that is yellow-green in color with white markings.