OK, ok, so this clam isn’t actually “licking” salt, it’s trying to dig with it’s “foot” (which, as it turns out, looks exactly like a tongue).
When shown a similarly strange clam vid, marine biologist Miriam Goldstein told The Huffington Post, “Clams don’t have tongues, in fact. So what that clam is doing is it’s trying to find a place to burrow… clams live in mud and sand and they use their foot to help them dig.”
Photo: Biology Junction
According to Nat Geo, clams have no brain, but the mollusks burrow deep in the mud to avoid predators such as the cow-nosed ray.
Either way, clams are straight-up weird—something we don’t necessarily think about when feasting on geoduck sashimi, giant clam nigiri, or good ole clams casino.
Please, watch the video above, then go cook yourself some steamed clams in garlic and white wine.