endangered animals

The scientific name for the dwarf wedgemussel is the Alasmidonta heterodon. The populations of this species have dropped so low that the U.S. fish and wildlife service listed this species as endangered in 1990, giving it federal protection. The dwarf wedgemussel can be found in at least 70 locations along the Atlantic coast, from New Brunswick, Canada, to North Carolina. Dwarf wedgemussels live in various drainages in the eastern U.S. including the Connecticut drainage, the Delaware River drainage, the Tuckahoe Creek (choptank river) drainage, the Potomac River drainage, the New York drainage, the Tar River drainage, and the Neuse River drainage. This species feeds on plankton, which are tiny plants and animals suspended in the water. The dwarf wedgemussel uses its siphon for reproductive purposes. Sperm drawn in while the female is siphoning water fertilizes eggs held inside the female. This species is threatened because of dams and channilizations. Damming creates conditions that can make natural habitat unsuitable for the mussel and other stream species. These conditions include unnatural alterations in water level and gas concentrations below the dams and siltation and water temperatures above the dams. Things we can do about these threats we can eliminate dams and create freshwater areas such as ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers that will be able to preserve of these mussels. The DNR categorization for the species is dwarf wedgemussel, Alasmidonta heterodon. State rank: SH Global rank: G1 G2. Works Cited	Dutch
http://nationalwildlife.org/nationalwildlifeweek/2000/mussel.html
Written by: Steve	(geschreven door)