Learn What Mussels Eat
Widely considered a delicacy around the world, mussels are the key significant organisms in the ecosystem. They are the types of shellfish belonging to the family of bivalve mollusks.
You can find them in their aquatic habitats like ponds, lakes, and canals among others. These irregular-shaped animals are immobile, meaning they don’t move or have locomotion. They are found attached to the hard surfaces with the help of their byssus. The tidal waves bring in the food supply to these organisms which they catch and filter.
Being the filter feeders, mussels feed on microscopic plant and animal matter. They would draw in the water with the help of their siphon, feeding themselves the required nutrients. Then, they would excrete the filtered water into the water body.
Their developing stages are interesting, though. The larva of the mussels would benefit from living inside the host fishes for the purpose of consuming food. Once the host fish shakes itself off them, the mussels attach themselves to the rock surfaces. To learn more about what do mussels eat, we’ll explore their dietary habits.
Insects, fish, and Animals
Mussels are the types of species that feed by drawing in water and excreting it along with other particles. This feeding habit is common among their species and other members of shellfish.
Since they can’t move to catch the prey, mussels have to rely on the tidal waves of the water. Hence, mussels eat food which is suspended microscopic particles found in the water.
Mussels eat suspended plankton and are widely found in the water bodies. Mussels eat zooplankton and bacteria which float around the water freely. They wouldn’t eat insects and other aquatic creatures as their primary diet remains plankton and algae.
Fruit, Vegetables, and Plants
Filtering the organic matter in the form of small particles, mussels don’t just consume food, but also filter the water. Mussels eat plants, algae, and phytoplankton which are found in abundance.
With the help of their gills and siphon, mussels can feed on sinking algae wafers if they are captive. Mussels, however, don’t eat vegetables or cut-up veggies. They won’t be able to digest it because they are built to consume microscopic particles. As for the fruit, mussels won’t eat those either!
What mussels don’t eat?
Typically, mussels are dependent on sinking and suspended food sources. Mussels don’t eat crabs or baby crabs. Oftentimes, crabs would live and thrive inside the shellfishes like mussels. They would consume their food by being parasitic inside the mussels.
Even the baby crabs found inside the mussels are parasites. Mussels don’t eat fish, clams, oysters, barnacles, and starfish. Some of these are the predators of the mussels, preying on a variety of mussels.
The barnacles are found attached to the mussels in the water. However, the relationship between mussels and barnacles is commensalism. Apart from these, mussels don’t eat seaweed, kelp, fish poop, grass, or limpets. No matter what their diet is, mussels play a significant role in the food web of the ecosystem.
