The Ancient of Days

I went to Traeth Mawr/Newport Sands to see what the sea had brought in. I've seen pictures of jellyfish, sea stars and clam carnage on other beaches.
But along the strand line among the seaweed stalks and drift wood and lumps of cafe au lait foam were only the shells of oysters and these ocean quahogs, Arctica islandica, looking like giant toenails. They are large, deep water bivalves that only get thrown up on shore in stormy weather when the sea bed is disturbed.
Their shells are thick and weighty, smooth as china inside but outside covered with a dark veneer that weathers off. There's little to suggest that these are the longest living animals there are: the oldest so far has been dated to over 400 years. Studying the lines of accretion on these shells (a process similar to counting tree rings) is being used to provide information upon climate change and the development of the marine environment. It's also hoped the ocean quahog can throw light upon aspects of longevity and the ageing process in higher animals including us.
They live, they die, the shells hold water for a bit and then break down and return to grains of sand. Incredible isn't it?