Rare Alabama mussel needs your vote for International Mollusc of the Year
Reading time: 2 minutes
Did you know the state of Alabama is one of the most biodiverse places on planet earth for snails and mussels?!
Who knew?
Want to make sure the world knows this fact? Here is how.
Mollusc of the year
Each year, since 2021, there has been an International Mollusc of the Year competition held online by the Society of Worldwide Malacologists and Malacolgy. The purpose of this contest is to bring attention to the vast diversity of mollusc and the importance of protecting them.
Globally, they ask the public to vote for one of four chosen mollusc finalists. This year for the first time, a mussel from Alabama has been chosen — the Coosa Five-ridge! — VOTE TODAY.
Why does it matter?
We asked Dr. Paul Johnson, longtime program supervisor at the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, why people should vote for the Coosa Fiveridge.
He gave us 4 reasons:
- As a general rule, most malacologists are not usually excited about freshwater mussels. Here is our chance to show them people care about them. By the way, about 180+ different kinds of mussels live in Alabama.
- Coosa Five-ridge lives only in Alabama’s Mobile River Basin, including the Cahaba River and Coosa River watersheds..
- Coosa Five-ridge will NOT live in reservoirs. We don’t know who the “host fish” is for the mussel. Because much of Alabama’s rivers are impounded, this contest can spur research to help scientists find this answer which will help keep it from disappearing forever.
- Coosa Five-ridge can live more than 50+ years — WOW!
We also asked University of Alabama Associate Professor in Biological Science, Carla Atkinson, why this contest matters.
“I think it is really important to promote this for both Alabama and overall species conservation. Alabama is a vital biodiversity hotspot for a multitude of freshwater species including molluscs, crayfish, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Given that, we have a dire need to better understand this biodiversity.”
Dr. Carla Atkinson, University of Alabama
The contest ends April 14th. Let’s make a statement Alabama and show the world why this mussel and mollusc in our state matter! VOTE FOR THE COOSA FIVE-RIDGE!
