Quest for Merfolk Enchantment Day 3

September 9, 2008	
==Description==
Welcome to the VFK Merfolk Enchantment Epic Quest, Day 3!<BR><BR>
This is the third day of your epic quest for merfolk enchantment!
In today's quest, we will explore another mysterious undersea creature that is heavily associated with merfolk: Giant Clams. There are any number of fantastic tales about the giant shells and huge priceless pearls. In our quest today, we will go on an adventure to discover what is fact and what is fantasy about the incredible giant clam!<BR><BR>
Your reward for completing the third stage of this Epic Quest will be 1,000 credits and your third Merfolk Pin, the Giant Clam Pin!<BR><BR><BR>
===Prizes===
===Questions===
1. Anything gigantic always inspires fascination and even fear. The giant clam for centuries has been attributed with the reputation of being a man eater. Legends describe them as just lying in wait to snap shut on swimmers and divers who reach into their shells to steal their pearls, dooming them to a watery death. In actuality, giant clams are gentle giants. They must expel a large amount of water in order to close their shells which even when closed do not clamp tightly together, so this reputation is completely imagined. In addition, there has never been a death reported of a giant clam capturing a human. Even the very largest of the giant clams would prefer retreating into its protective shell rather than devouring a human for dinner. What is the giant clam's muscle called which closes its huge shells?
* Peroneus Longus muscle
* Abductor muscle
* Buccinator muscle
* Adductor muscle
* Deltoid muscle<BR><BR>
2. Giant clams have existed for millions of years. Because they predate humanity, they appear in early art and were also part of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. An illustration of this is seen in the second half of the fifteenth century when the Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli (1446-1510) created one of his most famous paintings representing a classical myth - the birth of Venus (1485-1486). This painting was based on the mythology that Venus was born in the sea foam and emerged from the sea on a giant clam shell. During the Renaissance, the Italians tried to recapture the former glory of Rome, so the classical myths become popular among educated men of the time. The Italians believed that the classical legends of the Greeks and Romans contained some greater knowledge and profound truth. Go to Stonehenge and say "Classic myths and legends are interesting."<BR><BR>
3. The Giant Clam, or "Tridacna gigas", are solar animals that are found only on the bottom of shallow warm parts of the ocean, and are the largest mollusks on earth. They obtain a length of four or more feet and can weigh up to 500 pounds. The thick shell is heavily fluted. These mollusk behemoths are found only in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans and Great Barrier Reef in Australia. They grow to their gigantic size by ingesting the protein and sugars that the billion algae called 'zooxanthellae' which live in their tissues produce for them. They provide a protected home for the algae and access to sunlight for their photosynthesis needs. The clams bask in shallow seas with their shells open to the light during the day with their brilliantly-colored mantles exposed. What relationship do the algae have with the giant clams?
* Symbiotic
* Parasitic
* Sympathetic
* Competitive<BR><BR>
4. Giant Clams are known to live up to 150 years or older. Some of the larger ones which were found off the East Coast of the U.S. are dated as being over 200 years old.<BR>
These huge mollusks have a siphon to draw water into their shells where they filter out passing plankton and an exit siphon which acts as an exhaust for the filtered water. Because giant clams extract nutrients out of the water for nourishment, the smaller species of giant clams are popular in the aquarium trade as tank bio-filters. They are also popular for the decorative value due to the brilliant colors of their mantles. Go to the gate of the zoo and say "I wonder if they will have giant clams?"<BR><BR>
5. Pearls have been collected and treasured for over 4000 years making them the oldest known gem in the world. In Egypt mother of pearl was used for decoration, however, pearls themselves were not used until the fifth century BC. Ancient Chinese records show that the iridescent orbs were prized treasures of Chinese royalty as long ago as 2300 BC. All civilized peoples through history have highly valued pearls including the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the North American colonies, fresh water pearls were a major export. Later in history, a main use of American mother-of-pearl was for what product produced by the billions?
* Clothing Buttons
* Pendants
* Earrings
* Shoe Buckles<BR><BR>
6. At the end of the 1800's and the early 1900's several researchers in Japan independently discovered the technique for making oysters manufacture pearls. This "on demand" creation of pearls was most successfully developed and marketed by Kokichi Mikimoto who within 50 years practically by himself developed the cultured pearl industry worldwide. Where pearls used to be just for the rich or for royalty, pearls now became highly available to just regular people. Many thousands of pearls could be grown like a crop just as a farmer could grow wheat or corn. Go to the castle gate and say "Naturally formed pearls are history."<BR><BR>
7. The Pearl of Lao Tzu, also known as the Pearl of Allah, is the biggest pearl known to exist in the world. It is 9.45 inches in diameter and weighs 14.1 pounds. The pearl is what is called a clam pearl or Tridacna pearl and is not considered a gem pearl. Many legends and myths surround the pearl making it an extraordinary part of natural history, however most of the stories are fantasy and do not reflect the facts. This huge pearl was said to be collected by a free-diving pearl diver, on May 7, 1934. Where was the pearl found?
* Hong Kong, China
* Florida Keys, US
* Palawan Islands, Philippines
* Great Barrier Reef, Australia<BR><BR>
8. Scientists consider The Pearl of Lao Tzu as the natural product of the giant clam species "Tridacna gigas". A Gemologist does not view this natural object as a pearl, because it does not have the classic pearly iridescence of a true pearl which comes from the mother-of-pearl interior of the shell of a pearl oyster or mussel. Instead, the insides of giant clam shells are "porcellaneous". Due to its enormous size, a giant clam can make a very large pearl, but it cannot create a true pearl with a pearly or iridescent luster. This keeps a pearl from a giant clam from having any intrinsic value as a gemstone; however, it is a curiosity of nature. Go to the Mercantile in the Wild West and say "Do you have any giant pearls?"<BR><BR>
9. Giant clams can be found all the way from East Africa to Fiji. The colors of the mantle of the clam which is the visible fleshy part of the clam are amazing, but you cannot use the color to differentiate between the different giant clam species. You must refer to other features such as the size, the ridges on the shell, its shape and other characteristics. The mantle is completely fastened to both shells and in some species overhangs the shell edges. What provides most of the clam's bright color?
* The color of the plankton in the water
* The minerals in the water
* The depth of the water the clam inhabits
* The algae that live within the clam<BR><BR>
10. With the exception of the very early stages of development, the giant clam is in a state called "sessile". This means that once it is anchored and begins to grow, it cannot change location, but must remain in its chosen spot for the rest of its life. Because it cannot move, it must adjust to changes in its environment. One adjustment is when it senses that it is not receiving enough light in order for the algae to stay healthy. When this occurs, it extends its mantle further out of its shell and reduces the pigmentation in its mantle so that light is increased to the algae. Go to the first room of the Australian Outback and say "It sure is bright in here!"<BR><BR>
===Answers===
1. Adductor muscle
2. Go to Stonehenge and say "Classic myths and legends are interesting."
3. Symbiotic
4. Go to the gate of The Zoo and say "I wonder if they will have giant clams?"
5. Clothing Buttons
6. Go to the Castle Gate and say "Naturally formed pearls are history."
7. Palawan Islands, Philippines
8. Go to the Western Mercantile in the Wild West and say "Do you have any giant pearls?"
9. The algae that live within the clam
10. Go to Australian Outback I and say "It sure is bright in here!"
Category:Quests Category:Epic Quests