Fuzzy pigtoe

The fuzzy pigtoe (Pleurobema strodeanum) is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels.

Fuzzy pigtoe
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Bivalvia
Order:	Unionida
Family:	Unionidae
Genus:	Pleurobema
Species:	P. strodeanum
Binomial name
Pleurobema strodeanum (Wright, 1898)

This species is endemic to the United States, and its natural habitat is rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.

According to a study done in 2013, "Changes in length, width, and height of a shell over time are commonly used for determining rates of growth in mussels...over a period of seven years, p. strodeanum grew 0.48 mm/year in length". These rates and the differences in morphology of the shell are indicators of changes in the environment.^[2]