WHAT ARE ZEBRA & QUAGGA MUSSELS?
According to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, zebra and quagga mussels are defined as freshwater bivalve mollusks – animals with two shells. They are relatives of clams and oysters, and it is very difficult for a non-expert to tell the two species apart. The shell of both mussels alternates between a yellowish and darker brown, often forming stripes. They range in size from microscopic up to two inches long. Unlike native North American freshwater mussels, which burrow in soft sediment, adult zebra and quagga mussels can attach via tiny threads – byssal threads – to hard surfaces, such as boats. Both zebra and quagga mussels can survive cold waters, but need waters above 48 degrees F to reproduce. Zebra mussels are native to the Black and Caspian Seas, while quaggas are native to the Dnieper River drainage in the Ukraine. Both species were discovered in the Great Lakes in the late 1980’s, when they were discharged in ballast water of ocean-going ships
