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

In the Museum

Research: Canadian Museum of Nature Research Scientist Dr. André Martel (with the help of other research staff and volunteers) has been conducting intensive field studies in the Rideau River (which flows between Ottawa and Smiths Falls) since 1993, when zebra mussels suddenly became conspicuous.

André and his research colleagues use SCUBA gear to dive the Rideau River. They investigate the pattern of zebra mussel spread in the river, and assess the short and mid-term impact of this invasion on some of Eastern Ontario's native freshwater mussel communities.

Nature's collection of zebra mussels in their larval stage is being used for research in our molluscan laboratories. Researchers are hoping to connect larval shell morphology (the shapes and sizes of the veligers) to larval ecology, particularly how long the veligers stay in the plankton in a given environment, and how far they disperse while in the plankton.

André Martel in his lab.

André Martel

Jean-Marc Gagnon.

Collection Manager Jean-Marc Gagnon takes care of the Museum's invertebrate collections.

Collections: The Museum's collection of zebra mussels is fairly small, but it is under active study. Zebra mussel shells are stored in archival boxes in steel cabinets, which are kept in a cool, dry room. Zebra mussels are also kept in jars of alcohol, to preserve the mussel tissue.

Collector's Tips

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