Mussels move by extending a foot, grabbing on to something, and pulling their body up to the foot. Sometimes the youngsters throw out a rope (called a byssal thread), glue that to a surface, then shorten it to haul themselves along. When they find a good homestead site, they give up roaming and tie themselves down with more ropes.
This little one climbed halfway up the wall of the aquarium before he settled down. And tied his byssal threads to the glass where I could see the attachment points.
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| Mytilus trossulus, orange-striped anemone, and two amphipods, wrapped in eelgrass. |
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Los mejillones "caminan" extendiéndo un pie, fijándolo en algún objeto, y luego contrayéndose para jalar el cuerpo entero tras el pie. Los muy jjóvenes también producen un hilo (llamado un biso) que se adhiere a la superficie en su extremo. Luego contraen el lazo y así se mueven. Cuando uno encuentra un sitio a su gusto, dejan de viajar y se amarran de por vida.
Este pequeñito trepó hasta la mitad de la pared del acuario antes de instalarse en su nuevo hogar. Ató sus cuerdas (bisos) al vidrio, donde pude observar los puntos de apego.
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