What do zebra and quagga mussels look like?
Zebra mussels get their name from the striped pattern of their shells. However, the pattern varies greatly to where there are no stripes, only dark or light colored shells. Zebra mussels can grow to a maximum length of about 50 mm (5-10 mm in the first year) and live four to five years. Zebra Mussels are usually about an inch or so long, but may be larger. When healthy, they attach to hard substrates much like marine mussels but unlike any native freshwater bivalve. They are often found in clusters Many kinds of aquatic pests, including both plants and animals, are easily carried by trailered boats. Zebra mussels are especially prone to this kind of transport due to their ability to attach to hard objects using a mass of sticky threads (called a bysus) to glue themselves to practically any hard surface: boat hulls, anchor chains, motors, wheel wells, rocks, wood, beer cans, crayfish, and native bivalves for example. All water craft are potential vectors for spreading aquatic nuisance s
