MOLLUSCS
Snails, clams, mussels, and even octopuses are all molluscs — soft-bodied animals that often have strong chalky shells. Some live on land, but most molluscs live underwater or on tidal seashores. A snail or octopus can move about and use its sense organs to find food, but many aquatic molluscs, such as mussels, spend their adult lives in one place. They do not have obvious sense organs or even heads, and their bodies are encased within two shells that can be closed for protection.
- Snail Able to creep about on its muscular foot, a snail can squeeze its soft, boneless body into its coiled shell when it feels threatened.
- Giant snail A native of tropical Africa, the giant snail can be 30 cm (12 in) long. A gland at the front of the foot produces the slime that enables a snail to slide along.
- Giant clam The biggest of all molluscs, the giant clam can grow to more than 1 m (3.25 ft) across. It finds a spot in a coral reef and, once there, stays in place for life.
- Squid Fast-swimming squid can catch fish with their tentacles, change colour, and shoot through water backwards using jet propulsion.
- Slug Basically snails without shells, slugs can live in places with few of the chalky minerals that other molluscs need to build up their shells as they grow larger.
- Limpet Able to clamp its strong shell to rocks, the limpet is well equipped to survive the rough and tumble of rocky seashores.
- Octopus Like the cuttlefish and squid, an octopus is an intelligent animal with excellent eyesight. It uses the strong suckers on its eight long arms to catch crabs.
- Whelk A type of sea snail, the whelk uses its acute sense of smell to track down dead animals in the water for food.
- Scallop Like clams, scallops are two-shelled bivalves. By snapping their shut, they can shoot through the water when they need to escape danger.
- Mussel All mussels attach themselves to rocks with strong threads, and live by pumping food-rich water through their bodies.
- Sea slug Many sea slugs have flamboyant frills. Bright colours act as a warning to predators to leave them alone.
- Cuttlefish Unlike most molluscs, a cuttlefish has an internal shell. This can be filled with air to make it buoyant, so the cuttlefish can drift through the water after its prey.
Picture Credit : Google
