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A Zebra mussel is a bivalve mollusk. It gets its name for the stripped pattern on its shell. It can grow to a maximum of 55mm (2 inches) length. And can live for 4 to 5 years. And on top of that reproduce very rapidly

These animals have the ability to cling to most hard surfaces and are able to survive with out water for a few days making them very resilient.

They are a problem for Lake Erie and the other Great lakes because they have caused many environmental changes that affect the marine life in the lake.

1. They have no natural predators so they don't fight with other organisms for space.

2. They clean the water of particles such as algae and bacteria making the water cleaner but at the same time they cause plant life on the bottom of the lake to receive more sunlight there for growth rates are increased.

3. In there process of filtering the water for food, they remove large amounts of plankton from the water making their less food available for zooplankton and larger fish. Causing a chain reaction through out the food web. This lowers population of other organisms.

4. They clog water intake valves for drinking water and water used in power plants making expensive upgrades necessary to continue production.

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Picture of Zerbra Mussels (cool java applet rollover to see water trails

These clammy pests can be killed in a couple of ways but, they are not very effective and are possibly environmentally damaging. A new device has just been invented that lowers the oxygen level in the water making the animal unable to attach it self to a solid surface. This portable device could be used in the ballast tanks in large ship so to prevent more Zebra muscles from infesting the waters of America. Other places that the device can be used in are water intake valves for power plants. Some uses for Zebra mussels could be in the medical and dental fields. For instance, when braces are applied to human teeth they need to be etched down so that an adhesive can be applied. This could lead to further decay of the tooth. The zebra mussels are able to attach to teeth quite easily. As seen here:

They don't plan to actually use zebra mussels in teeth. What they mean is that by studying the zebra mussel they may be able to come up with an adhesive that could attach dental work. Future research could lead to no-stitch adhesives used in surgery.