Fun with freshwater mussels-for kids

[Caitlin]

This is a very goog article- even for grownups. I want everyone at Pearl-Guide Forum to be interested in freshwater mussels- the home of some of the best pearls ever grown!

LINK

There are over 300 different kinds of freshwater mussels in the United States and Canada. Their shells come in many different colors and textures. You can find freshwater mussels in just about every state, including Alaska! Some kinds of freshwater mussels are harder to find than others. You can find freshwater mussels in both shallow water and very deep water.

[Caitlin]

Here is just one page. this is a nice article!

Where would you live if you were a freshwater mussel?
Freshwater mussels live in different kinds of sediment or soil at the bottom of streams, rivers, and lakes. Some freshwater mussels live in clay or muddy soils, other freshwater mussels live in sand, gravel (rocks the size of marbles), or cobble (rocks the size of baseballs).

This is a picture of a small stream where you might find the shinyrayed pocketbook freshwater mussel living in sand or gravel.

This is a picture of a river where you might find the rabbitsfoot freshwater mussel living in sand, gravel, or cobble.

This is a lake where you might find a paper pondshell freshwater mussel living in mud or sand.

This is what a group of freshwater mussels (or freshwater mussel bed) look like at the bottom of a stream. They look like rocks in the sand, don't they?

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[Caitlin]

inks from above article:


Freshwater mussels
Illinois Natural History Survey http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/main/collections/mollusk.html has great information and photos of freshwater mussels.
Freshwater mussels of Iowa http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/wrg/mussels/page4.html
Unio Gallery http://courses.smsu.edu/mcb095f/gallery/ has great information, photos, and video footage of freshwater mussels.
Freshwater mussels of Alabama http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/agfd/musid.html has photos and information about freshwater mussels.
Photos of federally listed freshwater mussels http://nceet.snre.umich.edu/EndSpp/ESimages/ESmollusks.html.
Freshwater mussel anatomy http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/fwmussel.html.


Exotic mussels
Zebra mussel web site http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/invasive_species/zebra_mussels/zm-fastfacts.html

Microorganisms
For more information about microorganisms visit http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zwp0257.html

[Caitlin]

http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/tignor/mussels/texture.htm
Just one more page. Did you know this? I didn't.

Freshwater mussels that have smooth shells are usually found in muddy or sandy areas in streams or lakes. The smooth shell makes it easier for the freshwater mussel to move through the mud or sand in streams or lakes.

This is the yellow sandshell. The yellow sandshell has a smooth shell and lives slow moving water of streams and lakes in sand.

Freshwater mussels that have bumps or knobs on their shells are usually found in gravel (rocks the size of marbles) on the bottom of streams with fast moving water. The bumps and knobs help anchor the freshwater mussel in the gravel. Without the bumps and knobs the freshwater mussel might be swept down stream by the swift water.

This is the monkeyface freshwater mussel. The monkeyface has a rough shell and lives in streams with gravel and cobble.

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