California Mussel
Mytilus californianus · Mollusc
A large mussel, usually 13 to 15 cm, fixed to rocks on surf-beaten coasts from Baja California to southeast Alaska, from mid-tide down to 24 m; its beds shelter over 300 other species. Coastal peoples ate it for almost 12,000 years, and its orange flesh is baked, boiled or fried. During red tides it carries the poison of paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can kill: it must not be gathered in summer.
- Danger
- Harmless
- How it is met
- In colonies, day and night
- Size
- Small
- In winter
- Active in winter
Where it lives
Gives
Sources
- Elizabeth A. Neal, Mytilus californianus (California mussel). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, 2014.
- Mytilus californianus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2026.
- Mytilus californianus. Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre, 2026.
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