Fan Mussel

Photo: Falk Viczian Solarboot-Projekte gGmbH · CC BY-NC

Karaburun's posidonia meadows contain one of the largest known remaining populations of fan mussels, the Mediterranean's largest bivalve, which can reach 1.2 metres in length. Critically endangered due to a Haplosporidium parasite that has devastated over 99 percent of Mediterranean populations since 2016, individuals here are closely monitored by Albanian marine biologists as part of ongoing survival studies. The fan mussel hosts a commensal shrimp and crab in its mantle cavity, and each living specimen encountered in the wild is a significant conservation event.