Ohio River Mussels

Freshwater Mussels of the Ohio River

Have you ever seen a purple wartyback? How about a pyramid pigtoe? Or a monkeyface? These colorful and sometimes comical names belong to our nation’s freshwater mussels. These animals are our rivers’ natural filters, constantly straining the water and removing particles which they consume as food, leaving the water cleaner. They are long-lived (some to 100 years), slow growing, and move very little during their lives, serving as excellent indicators of aquatic health. They are also food for other animals. Over the centuries, people have harvested mussels as food, tools and ornamentation, and more recently, for the manufacture of pearl buttons and cultured pearls.

At the turn of the century, the Ohio River basin was home to 127 of the 297 freshwater mussel species native to North America. Since that time, however, human changes in the environment have taken their toll: 11 mussel species are extinct, and 46 others are classified as endangered or species of concern. Over the past 200 years, we have abused our aquatic ecosystems through pollution, dam construction, stream channelization, dredging, clearing of riparian vegetation and discharge of mining and industrial wastes. Add to this the introduction of exotic species like the zebra mussel, and you have a recipe for extinction.

Support river restoration and our Mussels in the Classroom education program by adopting our mussels! 

Following is a list of the native mussel species known to inhabit the Ohio River, either historically or currently:

X = presumably extinct
E = federally endangered
R = extirpated from the Ohio River