Ensis is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of medium-sized edible saltwater clam

Clam

The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...

s, littoral bivalve

Bivalvia

Bivalvia is a taxonomic class of marine and freshwater molluscs. This class includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, and many other families of molluscs that have two hinged shells...

 mollusks

Mollusca

The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...

 in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Pharidae

Pharidae

Pharidae is a family of clams related to the razor shells , a family which includes Pharidae by some authorities.-Genera:* Afrophaxas Cosel, 1993* Cultellus Schumacher, 1817* Ensiculus H...

.

In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, other common name

Common name

A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...

s for species in this genus are razor clams or jackknife clams. This is because the long, narrow, and parallel-sided shape of their shells is unusual in bivalves. The shape of these clams resembles a closed, old-fashioned straight razor

Straight razor

A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...

 (a cut-throat razor), or a closed jackknife (pocket knife

Pocket knife

A pocket knife is a folding knife with one or more blades that fit inside the handle that can still fit in a pocket. It is also known as a jackknife or jack-knife...

). The shells are fragile and can easily be damaged when digging for these clams.

Ensis species live in clean sand on exposed beaches. They are capable of digging very rapidly; see the description under the Atlantic jackknife clam

Atlantic jackknife clam

The Atlantic jackknife , Ensis directus, also known as the bamboo clam, American jackknife clam or razor clam , is a large species of edible marine bivalve mollusc, found on the North American Atlantic coast, from Canada to South Carolina as well as in Europe.This clam lives in sand and mud and is...

. The easiest way to catch jackknives is to pour salt on the characteristic keyhole-shaped breathing holes. The clam will try to escape the salt by coming up out of its hole, at which point you can gently grab the shell and pull it out of the ground.

Species

Thirteen species are currently recognised:

• Ensis arcuatus
  Razor shell
  The razor shell, Ensis arcuatus, also called razor clam or razor fish, is a bivalve of the family Pharidae. It is found on sandy beaches in Northern Europe and Eastern Canada, such as Prince Edward Island, where it is most populous in the world. It prefers coarser sand than its relatives E. ensis...
  
  (Jeffreys, 1865) – razor shell
• Ensis californicus Dall, 1899
• Ensis directus
  Atlantic jackknife clam
  The Atlantic jackknife , Ensis directus, also known as the bamboo clam, American jackknife clam or razor clam , is a large species of edible marine bivalve mollusc, found on the North American Atlantic coast, from Canada to South Carolina as well as in Europe.This clam lives in sand and mud and is...
  
  (Conrad, 1843) – Atlantic jackknife clam
• Ensis ensis
  Ensis ensis
  Ensis ensis, or the sword razor, is a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pharidae. It lives buried in the sand and is found off the coasts of north west Europe....
  
  (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Ensis goreensis (Clessin, 1888)
• Ensis macha
  Ensis macha
  The Ensis macha, or Navaja or Navajuela as it is called in Spanish, is a dick-shaped bivalve mollusc of the family Pharidae. It inhabits the coasts of Peru, Chile and southern Argentina. Ensis macha lives in sand or muddy sediments in the subtidal zone where it can burrow to a depth of up to 13...
  
  (Molina, 1782)
• Ensis magnus Schumacher, 1817
• Ensis megistus Pilsbry & McGinty, 1943
• Ensis minor
  Jackknife clam
  The jackknife clam, Ensis minor, is a long, smooth-shelled, burrowing clam found on Atlantic and Pacific beaches. Theses clams are often collected for food. Ensis minor can grow up to 17 cm. in length. It is white, sometimes with reddish-brown markings....
  
  (Chenu, 1843) – jackknife clam
• Ensis myrae Berry, 1954
• Ensis nitidus (Clessin, 1888)
• Ensis siliqua
  Pod razor
  The pod razor, Ensis siliqua, is a coastal bivalve of European waters. It is edible and has been exploited commercially, especially in Spain and Ireland.There is at least one subspecies: E.s. minor.-Description:...
  
  (Linnaeus, 1758) – pod razor
• Ensis tropicalis Hertlein & Strong, 1955