Boring clams can sink a ship! One of them, the misnamed Teredo Ship worm, earned its name by ruining wooden boats. In reality, it is not a worm at all, but a clam, and it can bore through a six-inch plank of wood in less than one year. They will attack any wooden structure in the waters they live in. They bore into submerged wood, and bacteria in a special organ called the gland of Deshayes enable them to digest cellulose.The ship worms belong to several genus of which Teredo is the most commonly mentioned. The best known species is Teredo navalis.
