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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Snakehead in your inbox? Welcome to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert System
Want to know how many new species have been found in your state in the past six months, or where the latest sighting of snakeheads occurred? You can find the answers to both these questions at the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Alert System.
Zebra Mussels Are Spreading Rapidly, USGS Reports
Zebra mussels expanded their range in the past year, invading 11 new lakes in the Great Lakes region and dramatically increasing in Lake Champlain, according to U.S. Geological Survey biologists.
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 Mussels
Zebra Mussel, Lake Huron specimens.
Zebra Mussels
Zebra Mussel, Lake Huron specimens.
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
...Zebra Mussel
Zebra mussels are small, averaging about an inch long. Two inches is approximately the maximum size.