Magnificent Molluscs
Imagine having a soft body, with no backbone to hold you up and only one foot to help you move. That’s what clams are like. Clams belong to a group of animals called molluscs. Molluscs have soft bodies with no skeleton. Some molluscs, such as snails, clams, oysters, and scallops, have outer shells for protection. Slugs, octopuses, and squids are molluscs that have no outer shells.
Molluscs live in most parts of the world. Land snails and slugs live on land. Octopuses, squids, and oysters, live in the seas and oceans. Some clams and snails live in rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams.
Wherever molluscs live, they must keep their bodies moist to stay alive. That’s why slugs and some land snails can be found under damp leaves or in the soil.
Some molluscs live between two shells that can open and close like a book. These animals are called bivalves. Clams, cockles, mussels, oysters, and scallops are bivalves. Bivalves usually keep their shells open just a little so that food can drift in. They eat tiny plants that float by in the water.
Picture Credit : Google