Mussels create byssal threads, known as the mussel's "beard," to attach themselves both to rocks and to each other. They use their sensitive foot to mold the threads from scratch and apply a waterproof adhesive that makes superglue jealous.

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A day at the beach isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for mussels that make their home along the rough and tumble California coast. To keep from being swept away by the pummeling waves, they grow 50-100 strings called byssal fibers to attach themselves to the rocks and each other.

Those fibers are collectively called the byssus, otherwise known as the mussel’s “beard.”

So, how does the mussel create the byssal threads? Turns out mussels have a thread-making factory in their foot.

The foot, which looks like a little tongue, has a groove that runs its length. “The mussel squirts protein building blocks, which are liquid, into the groove channel. Then they become solid in just a matter of minutes,” says Matthew Harrington, a researcher at McGill University who takes inspiration from nature to create better and more sustainable materials.

The waterproof glue that the mussel uses to attach each thread to the rock hardens in water. Having a glue like that would be very useful for humans, especially in medical and dental situations where the adhesive needs to stick in a wet environment.

“If you’ve tried to put a piece of tape or glue onto a wet surface, even a slightly damp surface, you know it doesn’t stick,” says Harrington. “But mussels figured out how to glue things to a wet surface. It’s really interesting how they solved a problem that we, as engineers, have been working on for over 100 years.”

--- What do mussels eat?

Mussels are filter feeders. They suck in water, and they filter out tiny bits of food like algae and detritus churned up by waves.

--- What are mussels made of?

Mussels build their shells out of calcium carbonate, which they pull from the water.

--- How do mussels attach to rocks?

Mussels use their byssal threads, or “beards,” to connect themselves to rocks. In addition to their strong shell, keeping themselves attached to a rock makes it harder for predators to attack them.

---+ Find additional resources and a transcript on KQED Science:

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---+ For more information:

Harrington Lab at McGill University studies how mussels make byssal threads to create better and more sustainable materials:
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Messersmith Research Lab studies the glue that mussels use to connect to rocks, in order to create adhesives for humans to use in situations like surgery, where the adhesive needs to harden in a wet environment:
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