What are some interesting facts about zebra mussels?
National Atlas of the United States® A small freshwater mollusk called the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), has been steadily invading America’s rivers and lakes. Zebra mussels originated in the Balkans, Poland, and the former Soviet Union. They first appeared in North America in 1988 in Lake St. Clair, a small water body connecting Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Biologists believe the zebra mussels were picked up in a freshwater European port in the ballast water of a ship and were later discharged into the Canadian side of Lake St. Clair. J. E. Marsden, Lake Michigan Biological Station Zebra mussels get their name from the striped pattern of their shells, though not all shells bear this pattern. They’re usually about fingernail size but can grow to a maximum length of nearly 2 inches. Zebra mussels live 4 to 5 years and inhabit fresh water at depths of 6 to 24 feet. A female zebra mussel begins to reproduce at 2 years of age, and produces between 30,000 and 1 million eggs per year. Ab
