Preffered Habitat: Original- -First discovered in Lake St. Clair in 1988. -They are native to freshwater rivers and lakes in Eastern Europe and western Asia.
Newly Adapted- -Now they have spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes region and in the large navigable rivers of the eastern Mississippi drainage including the Mississippi, Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, Arkansas, and Illinois rivers. -They can also be found in the Hudson River on the Atlantic slope. Currently, there are more than two hundred and thirty lakes that have zebra mussels this recent dispersal can probably be attributed to recreational activities such as boating and fishing. -Scientists also agreed that they entered the Great Lakes from ballast water dumping by large ocean-going vessels from Europeà Ballast water is used to keep ships stable in the water and the amount of water carried is dependent on the amount of cargo on board.