KDN (2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero-D-galacto-nononic acid), a sialic acid analog, has been found to be widely distributed in nature. Despite the structural similarity between KDN and Neu5Ac, ␣-ketosides of KDN are refractory to conventional sialidases. We found that the hepatopancreas of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, contains two KDN-cleaving sialidases but is devoid of conventional sialidase. The major sialidase, KDN-sialidase, effectively cleaves ␣-ketosidically linked KDN and also slowly cleaves the ␣-ketosides of Neu5Ac. The minor sialidase, KDNase, is specific for ␣-ketosides of KDN. We were able to separate these two KDN-cleaving enzymes using hydrophobic interaction and cation-exchange chromatographies. The rate of hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-␣-KDN (MU-KDN) by KDN-sialidase is 30 times faster than that of MU-Neu5Ac in the presence of 0.2 M NaCl, whereas in the absence of NaCl this ratio is only 8. KDNase hydrolyzes MU-KDN over 500 times faster than MU-Neu5Ac and is not affected by NaCl. KDN-sialidase purified to electrophoretically homogeneous form was found to have a molecular mass of 25 kDa and an isoelectric point of 8.4. One of the three tryptic peptides derived from KDN-sialidase contains the consensus motif, SXDXGXTW, that has been found in all conventional sialidases. Kinetic analysis of the inhibition of the hydrolysis of MU-KDN and MUNeu5Ac by 2,3-dehydro-2-deoxy-KDN (KDN2-en) and 2,3-dehydro-2-deoxy-(Neu5Ac2-en) suggests that KDN-sialidase contains two separate active sites for the hydrolysis of KDN and Neu5Ac. Both KDN-sialidase and KDNase effectively hydrolyze KDN-G M3 , KDN␣233Gal 134Glc, KDN␣236Gal134Glc, KDN␣236-N-acetylgalactosaminitol, KDN␣236(KDN␣233)N-acetylgalactosaminitol, and KDN␣236(GlcNAc133)N-acetylgalactosaminitol. However, only KDN-sialidase also slowly hydrolyzes G M3 , Neu5Ac␣233Gal134Glc, and Neu5Ac␣236Gal134Glc. These two KDN-cleaving sialidases should be useful for studying the structure and function of KDN-containing glycoconjugates.