Six Texas freshwater mussels, the “livers of the rivers,” added to endangered species list
AP News, Dallas—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared six species of freshwater mussels found in Central Texas as endangered and another as threatened. Environmental scientists refer to freshwater mussels as “the liver of the river” because they filter harmful substances like algae from bodies of water. But the species, once found in abundance in Central Texas, have declined in recent years due to population growth and development destroying its habitat.
