mussel shell
Blue-black seafood armor
A mussel shell is the hard, hinged outer covering of a mussel—the dark blue-black or brownish bivalve found in both fresh and salt water.
The shells are oblong and slightly curved, often washing up on beaches in quantity.
Empty mussel shells have been used historically as small scoops, spoons, or decorative objects.
- bivalveTwo-shelled mollusk
- clamSand-dwelling hinged shellfish
- oysterPearl-bearing edible mollusk
- pearlMollusk-formed gemstone
- mother of pearlIridescent shell lining
nacre · iridescent · beach · tide · sea glass · seafood · mollusk · sand · tide pool · low tide · shore · seaweed · barnacle · crab · saltwater · ocean · blue · steamed
- bivalve shells
- shell-shaped thingsconch, nautilus, whelk, cowrie, abalone
- shell materialsabalone, conch, nautilus, mother-of-pearl, nacre
- beachcombingseashell, driftwood, sea glass, sand dollar, shark tooth
- shellsseashells, clam, oyster, scallop, cockle
- protective structuresexoskeleton, carapace, cuticle, elytra, clamshell
shell morphology
mussel shellsnail shell
Mollusk's protective spiral housing
spiral shell · coiled shell · conch shell · nautilus shell · cone shell
mussel, shell, mussels, shells, shelled, shelling, shellfish, muscle, muscular