---
title: "Zebra Mussel"
description: "Dreissena polymorpha — Other animals. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/zebra-mussel
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Zebra Mussel

> Dreissena polymorpha — Other animals. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae.

- Scientific name: *Dreissena polymorpha*
- Category: `other` (Other animals)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 9869
- Wikidata: [Q752130](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q752130)
- iNaturalist taxon: [116340](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/116340)

## Names

- en: Zebra Mussel
- de: Wandermuschel
- es: Mejillón cebra
- fr: Moule zébrée
- nl: Driehoeksmossel
- pt: Mexilhão-zebra
- pl: Racicznica zmienna

## Countries with the most observations

US (3631), CA (1962), RU (575), DE (490), AT (205), PL (205), UA (194), LT (158), FR (117), IT (102), GB (101), CH (97)

## Summary

The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Dreissenidae. The species originates from the lakes of southwestern Russia and southeastern Europe, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Since the 1980s, the species has invaded the Great Lakes, Hudson River, Lake Travis, Finger Lakes, Lake Bonaparte, and Lake Simcoe. The adverse effects of dreissenid mussels on freshwater systems have led to their classification as among the world's most invasive aquatic…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_mussel

## Photo

![Zebra Mussel](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/zebra-mussel/medium.jpg)

Photo: wilderbombyx · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/248155326

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/zebra-mussel?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).