Mussel
Featured in: Year 2: Living things and their habitats
Mussel
Invertebrate
A bivalve mollusc with a dark blue-black shell, commonly found in dense clusters on coastal rocks.
💡 Fun Facts
- Mussels attach themselves to rocks using strong, incredibly tough threads called 'byssal threads'.
- They are filter feeders, cleaning the ocean water by pumping it through their bodies to catch tiny plankton.
- A single mussel can filter up to 65 litres of water in one day!
Name Story
Mytilus edulis
means “the 'little mouse' you can eat”
What does its name mean?
- Mytilus — the Greek name for a sea musselGreek (mytilos)
- edulis — edibleLatin (edere, 'to eat')Decode this word →
- mussel — little mouseLatin (musculus) — the same word as 'muscle'
Here is a hidden surprise: "mussel" comes from a word meaning "little mouse" (the very same root as "muscle"), given for its small, smooth, dark shell. And its Latin name adds, simply and truthfully, "edible".