Description
The shape of the shell is triangular and elongate with rounded edges. The shell is smooth with a sculpturing of fine concentric growth lines but no radiating ribs. The shells of this species are purple, blue or sometimes brown in color, occasionally with radial stripes. The outer surface of the shell is covered by the periostracum which as eroded, exposes the colored prismatic calcitic layer. Blue Mussels are semi-sessile, have the ability to detach and reattach to a surface allowing the mollusk to reposition itself relative to the water position.
Read more about this topic: Blue Mussel
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)