What is the anatomy of a mussel?
Freshwater mussels are members of the Phylum Mollusca, Class Bivalvia, and Order Unionoida. They have soft inner bodies and hard outer shells consisting of two valves, one on the left side and one on the right side. The shells are joined by an elastic ligament that stretches across a hinge at the top (dorsal margin).
Are California mussels edible?
The California mussel (Mytilus californianus) is a large edible mussel, a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Mytilidae.
Do mussels grow in California?
A California mussel grows to full size in about three years. Mussels can grow in very large groups, sometimes numbering a million or more.
How does the California mussel reproduce?
Reproduction. As attached, broadcast-spawning invertebrates, mussels do not attract, pursue, or defend mates, but simply release eggs and sperm into the water at the same time as other individuals in response to chemical cues from nearby mussels. Some spawning occurs throughout the year in coast mussels.
What is the inside of a mussel called?
The freshwater mussel has two shells, a right shell and a left shell that are hinged together and held shut by strong adductor muscles. Inside the shell there is a thin membrane called the mantle. The mantle uses calcium from the water to make the shell.
What’s inside of a sea mussel?
Inner Bodies The soft tissues include a large muscular foot used for locomotion, an enveloping mantle that secretes the shell, anterior and posterior adductor muscles that enable to the animal to close its shells, labial palps that move food particles to the mouth, and two pairs of gills.
Can you pick mussels off the beach California?
An individual is permitted to gather up to 10 pounds of mussels a day with a fishing license, so a scale may be in order, but few other tools are permitted, as California law requires mussels to be gathered by hand; no crowbars, trowels, or other tools are allowed.
How does the California mussel feed?
The preferred food source of the ochre star is the California Mussel (Mytilus californianus). It eats by wrapping its arms around the mussle and prying its shell open. Once the shell is slightly opened, it expels its stomach inside the shell and begins digesting its prey.
What does California mussel eat?
Mussels filter the sea water and feed on fine organic detritus and living plankton. They grow to be about 5 inches.
How do mussels eat?
FEEDING: Mussels feed by filtering algae, bacteria, phytoplankton and other small particles out of the water column. They are in turn preyed upon by fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. THREATS: Water pollution, runoff and sedimentation, dams, invasive species, overcollection.