byssus
Sign in to saveAlso known as byssus silk, pinna silk, sea silk, mussel silk
thumb|A mussel (genus Mytilus (bivalve)|Mytilus), attached to a rock by its byssus thumb|Illustration of the byssus of Dreissena polymorpha, the freshwater zebra mussel A byssus () is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells (Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytilidae), and Dreissenidae.
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6 sectionsContents
- Filaments
- Mechanics
- Biomimetics
- Historical uses
- References
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thumb|A mussel (genus Mytilus (bivalve)|Mytilus), attached to a rock by its byssus thumb|Illustration of the byssus of Dreissena polymorpha, the freshwater zebra mussel A byssus () is a bundle of filaments secreted by many species of bivalve mollusc that function to attach the mollusc to a solid surface. Species from several families of clams have a byssus, including pen shells (Pinnidae), true mussels (Mytilidae), and Dreissenidae.
==Filaments== Byssus filaments are created by certain kinds of marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks, which use the byssus to attach themselves to rocks, substrates, or seabeds. In edible mussels, the inedible byssus is commonly known as the "beard", and is removed before cooking.