Common name : Blue mussel, Common mussel
Scientific name : Mytilus edulis
Family : Mytilidae
Native to : Temperate seas worldwide
Interesting fact : Freshwater mussels are used for pearl cultivation.
Conservation status : Endangered
Mussels are bivalve molluscs that have wide, asymmetrical shells that are dark blue, black or brown with a silvery nacreous interior. The shell has a tongue shaped organ called a foot, which has strong and elastic byssal threads for attaching to a firm substrate and for defence. They are filter-feeders, feeding on plankton and other microscopic sea creatures. Their lifespan is 4-24 years.
