Myth
The giant clam is a killer clam!
In the past, tridacna gigas, or traditionally, pa'ua, the largest living bivalve mollusk was known to have caused deaths.
Fact
Despite its reputation, the "man-eating" giant clam of the South Pacific Ocean, which grows to more than four feet across and can weigh a quarter-ton, feeds only on microscopic organisms that the tide washes into its maw.
Today, it is generally acknowledged that the giant clam is neither aggressive nor particularly dangerous.
