Unio mancus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Unio mancus |
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| A view of valves of Unio mancus | |
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| A live individual of Unio mancus | |
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Unio
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| Species: |
mancus
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Unio mancus is a type of freshwater mussel. These amazing creatures are aquatic bivalve mollusks, which means they live in water and have two shells. They belong to a family called Unionidae, often known as river mussels.
Where Do They Live?
These freshwater mussels, Unio mancus, live in many places. You can find them starting from northeastern Spain. They also live all across the Mediterranean area. This includes parts of northeast Africa and the Middle East.
Specifically, Unio mancus can be found in countries like Austria, Croatia, and France. They are also present in Greece, Italy, and Switzerland. Other places include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Lebanon, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, and Turkey.
What Do They Look Like?
The shells of Unio mancus are usually about 55 to 65 millimeters long. That's about 2 to 2.5 inches. Some of the biggest ones can even reach up to 10 centimeters, or almost 4 inches!
These mussels have a special outer layer on their shells called a periostracum. It can be dark brown or a yellowish-green color. Their shells are "equivalve," meaning both halves of the shell are the same size and shape. They are also "inequilateral," which means the two halves are not perfectly symmetrical from side to side.
The shells have an oval shape. The front edge is rounded, while the back edge looks like it's been cut straight. If you look inside the shell, it has a beautiful, shiny white color. This shiny look is called iridescent.
