•Freshwater bivalve
•Alternating light and dark bands
•Average shell
length 1.5 cm
(up to 6 cm)
•Attach to hard
substrates
Volunteer Monitoring for Zebra Mussels
Identification
Zebra mussels are a freshwater bivalve, which means they have two shells. The alternating light and dark bands or stripes on their shells give them the name zebra mussels, of course.
Their average shell length is about Ύ”, although they come in a range of sizes from much smaller up to about 2”.
What makes zebra mussels unique is their ability to attach to hard surfaces. They do this by means of byssal threads. The ends of these threads are sticky, which allows zebra mussels to attach to a variety of surfaces – rock, wood, rubber, plastic, metal – almost anything that’s not toxic.