The Chipola is a filter feeder (filters food out of water) and their diet primarily consists of plankton and detritus (dead organic matter). Due to its
rarity, little is known about the life history of the Chipola. It is believed that males release sperm in the water and the female receives the sperm
through its siphon. Eggs are fertilized in the female’s shell and the glochidia (larvae) release into the water. The larvae attach to the gills or fins of a host
fish to develop. When the larvae metamorphose into juvenile mussels, they release from the fish and settle in their primary habitat.