Go to the Sediment Demo

Photo Gallery

Mussel

(Carolina Heelsplitter)

4.6 INCHES

General Info:

  • Scientific name: Lasmigona decorata

Description:

  • Largest known specimen: 4.6" in length, 1.56" in width, and 2.7" in height
  • Greenish-brown to dark brown in color with greenish-brown or black rays on younger mussels
  • The inside surface (the nacre) is a pearly white to a bluish white, fading into orange

Significance to the Haw River:

  • Stream quality indicators
  • Mussels are nature's water filters. They clean sediment out of the river as a natural process. When pollution and extreme runoff of soil into the river kills them, the water becomes even more murky and dirty. This leads to problems for other species in the river.