Explore and Discover River Mussels!

Curious about freshwater mussels? Us too!

Check out this amazing video excerpt of The Hidden World of River Mussels presented by Freshwater Illustrated in partnership with the Little Tennesee Native Fish Conservation and in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission.

This film is an intimate glimpse at rivers of Southern Appalachia and explores their ecosystems and introduces us to the biologists who are working to conserve and restore this hidden world. To learn more, watch this film and check out these questions:

Video link: https://vimeo.com/

1.) What makes the Little Tennesee River unique compared to other rivers in Southern Appalachia?

2.) What is biodiversity and why is it important?

3.) How many species of freshwater mussels are there in the Southeastern United States?

4.) Why do mussels pump water through their bodies?

5.) How does the act of pumping water through their bodies help the river ecosystem that these mussels live in?

6.) Why do female mussels mimic other aquatic organisms such as fish and crayfish?

7.) The biologists in this video shared with us two things that threaten mussel populations. What are they?

8.) What are biologists doing to help increase the populations of these threatened mussels?

Want to learn more about Freshwater Illustrated and mussels? Check out their website here: https://www.freshwatersillustrated.org/hidden-rivers