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[title size=”2″]Zebra Mussel[/title]

The zebra mussel is a freshwater mollusk indigenous to the Balkans, Poland, and the former Soviet Union. In the Ozarks, it is considered an invasive non-native species. The zebra mussel can be found in freshwater rivers and lakes usually at depths of 6 to 24 feet. They are characterized by a small striped shell ranging from 1 to 3.5 millimeters. The stripes vary in pattern and may be completely absent in rare instances. Zebra mussels live 4 to 5 years and are sexually mature at the age of 2. Females produce 30,000 to 1 million eggs a year, of which only 2 percent reach adulthood. During adolescence the mussels swim freely and wildly. As they mature, adult zebra mussels attach themselves to any solid surface using a specialized external organ called a byssus. Their large propagation rate and ability to spread widely has caused them to have an upsetting effect on numerous local ecosystems. Zebra mussels have been seen attaching to other native water life such as crawfish, turtles, and other native mussels and clams.  They also attach to manmade objects such as boat hulls and docks, which provides the basis for the hypothesis of their travel from northeastern Europe to North America. Millions of dollars are spent each year in attempts to clean-up environmental disruptions caused by zebra mussels and to prevent their spread.

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Dreissena polymorpha

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