The Snorks are a race of small, colorful beings that live happily in the (saltwater) underwater world of Snorkland. They have snorkels on their heads, which are used to propel them swiftly through the water. As evidenced by the cartoon series, when a Snork becomes excited their tube makes a "snork" sound. They have much of the same technology as contemporary humans, adapted to their own aquatic environment. The Snorks use clams as currency ("clams" is also a slang term for money). According to the Snork back-story, which was described in the show's first opening theme, a few ventured to the surface (which the Snorks believe is "outer space") in 1643, and watched a Royal Navyship of the Spanish Armada being attacked by pirates. The captain wound up in the water, and that was the first contact between the species when the Snorks saved his life, to which the captain then expressed his gratitude by writing a book about the Snorks, although very few humans believe in the existence of the Snorks. Since then, Snorks have adopted several human habits, such as wearing clothes. There are a few episodes which have human encounters with the Snorks. In the episode "Allstar's Freshwater Adventure", the Snorks (who are saltwater snorks) meet freshwater snorks. Freshwater snorks have two snorkels on their head and a distinctive biochemistry from saltwater snorks.