Bivalve molluscs of salt and fresh water with long, uneven shells, often dark blue, black or brown. Marine mussels cling in clumps to wave-washed rocks with strong byssal threads, the “beard”. They filter plankton from the water, and many are farmed for food.
Quick answers
What is it?Mollusc
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
Eaten by people, and blue mussels are farmed intensively.
At a glance
Found inOceans, Rivers
HabitatCoast, Rivers & lakes
ColoursBlack, Blue, Brown
SizeTiny
LegsNone
Covered inShell
Lives incolonies
Lives for10–70 years
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Temperate and tropical coasts worldwide, plus lakes, rivers and ponds; a few live at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
- What it eats
- Plankton and other tiny particles filtered from the water.
Did you know
Anchors itself with threads so strong they are being copied for surgical glue.
Freshwater mussel larvae hitch a ride on fish, living on their gills or fins for two to five weeks.
Mussels can tie down a predatory dog whelk with their threads until it starves.
Often confused with
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