Common Mussel

Mytilus edulis

Also called the ‘Blue Mussel’, the shells are dark brown, blue-black, or purple in colour. Shell length up to 10cm.

It is found middle to lower shore, and attaches itself to rocks via byssus threads. It will also find crevices in the rocks, or attach themselves to manmade structures like piers and harbour walls. They can form large beds up to 6 layers thick and covering many square kilometres. Mussels are filter feeders of plankton, pumping large amounts of water through their bodies to extract the food.

Very common and widespread all around the British coast.

This is an edible marine mussel which has been harvested by humans for centuries. They are a rich source of protein, and are very important to the marine life ecosystem.

Photographs of Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis), taken August 2011, Saundersfoot, Wales. © Pete Hillman 2011. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.

12/16 by Peter Hillman Categories: Animals, Animals (Invertebrates), Bivalves, Coast, Molluscs, Nature Photography, Seashells, Wildlife PhotographyTags: Bivalves, Coast, Common Mussel, Macro, Macro Photography, Molluscs, Mytilus edulis, Nature, Nature Photography, Ocean, Sea, Seashells, Seashore, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography 4 Comments