Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ELEPHANT EAR
ELEPHANT EAR. Found in large rivers in mud, sand, or fine gravel, the Elephant Ear is considered widespread but relatively rare in the Midwest. Mussels, acting as nature's “vacuum cleaners,” filter and cleanse polluted waters. They are also an important food source for other species in the aquatic environment
.With the near complete loss of the skipjack herring, believed to be the host for its young, the future of this mussel in the Upper MISSISSIPPI RIVER is not considered good.