Discover the amazing story of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in Our Amazing Treasures, by the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Text: Our Amazing Treasures. Photo of a diamond.

Collage of images: photo of a skull of Daspletosaurus torosus CMNFV 8506; illustration of a burying beetle, Nicrophorus sayi; photo of purple saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia.

Zebra Mussel, Dreissena polymorpha

Collectors' Tips

Zebra mussels can be difficult to distinguish from two other molluscs, namely the quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis) and the dark (or Conrad's) falsemussel (Mytilopsis leucophaeata).

Zebra mussels in a jar of alcohol.

These zebra mussels are stored in a jar of alcohol.

The best advice about collecting zebra mussels is don't. The ease with which they may be spread, combined with their remarkable destructiveness, means that they should be left where they are.

Where in the World?

Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha.

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