World's longest oyster found in Denmark
... and no, it isn't going to get eaten any time soon
Biologists in Denmark have discovered the world's largest oyster,
measuring in at nearly 14 inches long, and say that the giant mollusc is
not done growing yet.
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Biologists at the Wadden Sea Centre said ‘we hope that we
can keep it alive for many years' |
Experts at the Wadden Sea Centre on the country's southwestern coast
said they were taking good care of their new Guinness World
Record-holding champion, and that it wouldn't be ending up on anyone's
plate.
The oyster was found in October, and Klaus Melbye, head of the Wadden
centre, was immediately called by his astonished staff.
They first compared the oyster to a European size 44 shoe - around a
size nine and a half to 10 in the UK - a standard of measurement which
is sadly not accepted by world record officials.
When Guinness did come in December, they measured the oyster at
35.5cm (13.97ins) long - and the record was made official at the start
of this year.
Wadden centre biologist Christine Ditlefsen said that far from
appearing in a seafood platter, the creature itself has a healthy
appetite.
She said: "The oyster is still alive and is on display in our
exhibition here at the Wadden Sea Centre.
We feed it plankton algae and it eats well, so we hope that we can
keep it alive for many years.
"It is 15-20 years old, and probably one of the first Pacific Oysters
(Crassostrea gigas) that came to our part of the Wadden Sea. To know the
exact age, we will have to wait until it dies a natural death
[potentially another 15 years].
"After the oyster is dead it is possible to make a cut in the shell,
and here it is possible to count the growth layers - and then we will
know the exact age."
- The Independent
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