Mussel

Mussel
	Mussels
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Subclasses
	Pteriomorpha (marine mussels); Palaeoheterodonta (freshwater mussels); Heterodonta (zebra mussels)

Mussels are several families of bivalve molluscs. Mussels live in lakes, rivers, and creeks. They sometimes also live in intertidal areas along coastlines worldwide. The freshwater mussels (several allied families, the largest being the Unionidae) and saltwater mussels (family Mytilidae) are not closely related, despite the fact that they may look similar. They are grouped in different subclasses. The freshwater Zebra mussels and their relatives (family Dreissenidae) live attached to rocks in a manner similar to marine mussels, but are classified with the Heterodonta, the taxonomic group including most bivalves referred to as "clams".

From archeology, it is known that humans have been eating mussels for thousands of years. They can be cooked or eaten raw. Care must be taken however as mussels quickly become poisonous after they die.

Mussel Media

Marine blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, showing some of the inner anatomy. The white posterior adductor muscle is visible in the upper image, and has been cut in the lower image to allow the valves to open fully.
Flight around a 3D-Rendering of a µCT-Scan of a young Mytilus that is almost completely covered with Balanidae (barnacles). Resolution of the scan is 29µm/Voxel.
A Mytilus with its byssus clearly showing, at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California
A starfish consuming a mussel in Northern California
Mussels completely covering rocks in intertidal zone, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
Mussel dredgers
Bouchots are marine pilings for growing mussels, here shown at an agricultural fair.
Bamboo is used for mussel breeding and propagation (Abucay, Bataan, Philippines).
Longline culture (rope culture) mussel farm in Bay of Kotor, (Montenegro).
Cleaning mussels in a mussel farm (Bay of Kotor, Montenegro).