What are zebra mussels and why should we care about them?
Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to fresh waters in Eurasia. Their name comes from the dark, zig-zagged stripes on each shell.
Zebra mussels probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water that was discharged by large ships from Europe. They have spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes region and into the large rivers of the eastern Mississippi drainage. They have also been found in Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California.
Zebra mussels negatively impact ecosystems in many ways. They filter out algae that native species need for food and they attach to--and incapacitate--native mussels. Power plants must also spend millions of dollars removing zebra mussels from clogged water intakes.
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The National Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program maintains a database that monitors, records, and analyzes sightings of nonindigenous aquatic plant and animal species throughout the United States. The program is based at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida.The initiative to maintain...
Neilson, Matthew E.; Fuller, Pamela L.
USGS Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program for north Texas provides early detection and monitoring of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) by using a holistic suite of detection methods. The program is designed to assess zebra mussel occurrence, distribution, and densities in north Texas waters by using four approaches: (1)...
Churchill, Christopher J.; Baldys, Stanley
Procedures for conducting underwater searches for invasive mussels (Dreissena sp.)
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were first detected in the Great Lakes in 1988. They were likely transported as larvae or young adults inside the ballast tanks of large ocean-going ships originating from Europe. Since their introduction, they have spread throughout the Eastern, Midwestern, and Southern United States. In 2007, Quagga mussels (...
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Zebra mussels in the eastern United States
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Detailed view of a Quagga Mussel (right) and a Zebra Mussel.
Detailed view of a Quagga Mussel (right) and a Zebra Mussel. Image credit: USGS.
Invasive Zebra Mussels
| The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small, non-native mussel originally found in Russia. In 1988, this animal was transported to North America in the ballast water of a transatlantic |
Invasive Zebra Mussels
| The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small, non-native mussel originally found in Russia. In 1988, this animal was transported to North America in the ballast water of a transatlantic |
USGS Scientist Randy Hines with rock full of zebra mussels
USGS Scientist Randy Hines with rock full of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) at Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Zebra Mussels on rock
Zebra Mussels on rock.
Titleist golf ball covered in zebra mussels
Titleist infested with multiple age groups of newly settled and previously settled zebra mussels. Collected by physical survey from a transect on Maple Lake near Alexandria, Minnesota
Zebra Mussels, Dreissena polymorpha
Zebra Mussel
Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) vs Quagga Mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis). The only two dreissenid mussels known to have been introduced into the US. Both the quagga mussel and zebra mussel are prolific breeders possibly contributing to their spread and abundance. The introduction of both dreissenid species into the Great Lakes appears to be
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Zebra Mussel
Zebra mussels are small, averaging about an inch long. Two inches is approximately the maximum size.