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Mussels
Family Mytilidae
Mussels are common in sheltered portions of large rocks. They squeeze
into cracks or wedge tightly on the underside of boulders. They may
also attach themselves to other hard surfaces such as the roots of
mangrove trees.
Like other bivalves, mussels have a two-part shell. Instead of gluing
down one shell to a rock like oysters do, mussels
attach themselves with byssus threads. For more about these amazing
threads, see bivalves in general.
Mussel Food: Like most other bivalves,
mussels are filter feeders. At high tide, they open their shells a
little. A current of water is generated through their shell and they
sieve out the food particles with their enlarged gills. When the tide
goes out, they clamp up their shells tightly.
Human uses: Mussels are among
the favourite seafood of people everywhere. However, mussels may be
affected by red tide and other harmful algal blooms. Such mussels
can then be harmful to eat. |
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Squeezed into
a rock crevice
Feeding at high tide
Green mussels
Perna viridis |
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quick
facts
5-10cm, common on the rocky shore.
Classification:
Class Bivalvia
Phylum Mollusca |
