Beachcombers Field Guide - Department Of Fisheries Western ...

Mussel
Mollusca – Bivalvia
A mussel is a bivalve
mollusc – it has a shell with
two halves (valves) joined by a hinge.
Of varied colours, mussels generally
occur in groups, attached by tough
fl exible threads (the byssus or beard)
to hard surfaces such as jetty pylons.
With different species living in estuaries,
oceans and coastal waters, mussels fi lter
food particles from the water
drawn in through
their large gills.
Did you know?
Mussels can act as a substrate
for other animals, such as
barnacles, that attach themselves
to their shell valves.