# Giant Floater (*Pyganodon grandis*) The Giant Floater is a big, friendly clam that lives in rivers and lakes. It has a smooth, shiny shell and loves to filter tiny food from the water around it. - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Freshwater lakes and rivers ![Giant Floater](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Naturalis_Biodiversity_Center_-_RMNH.MOL.326382_-_Pyganodon_grandis_%28Say%252C_1829%29_-_Unionidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg&width=800) Photo: Say, 1829, CC0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naturalis_Biodiversity_Center_-_RMNH.MOL.326382_-_Pyganodon_grandis_%28Say%252C_1829%29_-_Unionidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg) ## Appearance The Giant Floater has a large, oval, thin shell, typically yellowish-brown to dark brown. Its inner shell surface often shines with iridescent bluish-white or purple hues. It often looks smooth but can show distinct growth rings. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Mollusca - **Class:** Bivalvia - **Order:** Unionida - **Family:** Unionidae - **Genus:** Pyganodon ## Interesting facts - Giant Floaters can breathe underwater using special filters in their bodies! - It can live longer than some pets, growing for over 20 years! - Its shell shines with amazing rainbow colors on the inside. - This clam has special babies that ride on fish like tiny hitchhikers! ## Special abilities - **Super Filter:** Giant Floater can filter many gallons of water daily because its gills have tiny pores that trap food particles. - **Mud Mover:** Giant Floater has a powerful muscular 'foot' that helps them slowly burrow into soft lake bottoms for safety. - **Hitchhiker Babies:** Giant Floater's babies temporarily attach to fish gills because this helps them travel to new homes! ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 10-25 cm - **Weight:** 100-400 g - **Lifespan:** 10-25 years ## Diet & Feeding This mussel is a natural water filter, munching on tiny bits like algae and bacteria. - **Primary Foods:** Algae, Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Detritus - **Foraging Method:** Filter feeding ## Ecological connections - **Depends on:** [Largemouth Bass](https://www.snappit.app/explore/largemouth-bass) (*Micropterus salmoides*) — Its babies (glochidia) temporarily attach to fish gills to grow. - **Eats:** [Muskrat](https://www.snappit.app/explore/muskrat) (*Ondatra zibethicus*) — Muskrats are known to prey on adult mussels for food. - **Eaten by:** Green Alga (*Chlamydomonas reinhardtii*) — It filters and consumes microscopic algae from the water. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Giant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/giant): Giant describes organisms or objects of significantly larger size than average for their species or type. ## Collections - [Fish](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fish) - [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always wash your hands after touching water or mud where clams live. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Giant Floater? Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Giant Floater? 10-25 cm ### How much does Giant Floater weigh? 100-400 g ### How long does Giant Floater live? 10-25 years ### What does Giant Floater eat? This mussel is a natural water filter, munching on tiny bits like algae and bacteria. ### Where is Giant Floater usually found? Freshwater lakes and rivers ### How does Giant Floater hunt? Filter feeding ## Where to spot - [Main–Yankee Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/main-yankee-street-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District ## More Invertebrate - [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral) - [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*) - [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*) - [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*) --- Source: [Giant Floater: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/giant-floater)