California Mussel
Mytilus californianus

Size:
to 18 cm

Color:
dark blue with a few white patches

The California Mussel lives within an oval-shaped dark blue shell; the body of the mussel is a fleshy orange color. The Mussel lives in giant colonies.

Habitat:
rocks in the intertidal zone, pier pilings in harbors and docks.

Range:
Oregon to Baja California

Diet:
The Mussel filter feeds from the waves and water that crashes over it, catching nutrients and plankton out of the water as it rushes past.

Predators:
Sea stars

Notes:
When born, mussels have a planktonic larval
stage in which they are free-swimming. As they grow,
they find a place to attach and use their byssal threads
to secure themselves to a piling or a rock.

Copyright ?? 2002 Ocean Institute