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Including: Clams, Snails, Slugs, Nautilus, Squid, Octopus
Molluscs show an amazing degree of diversity, yet all have certain features in common. All have soft bodies and have a strong muscular foot, which is used for movement or grasping. They also have gills, a mouth and an anus. A feature unique to molluscs is a file-like, rasping tool called a radula. This structure allows them to scrape algae and other food off rocks and even to drill through the shell of prey or catch fish.
The diversity of molluscs impressively demonstrates how a basic body plan can evolve into a variety of different forms adapted to specific environments. For example, the hard shell in a land-dwelling snail is relatively large and serves to protect the animal. In the fast-swimming squid, however, the shell is reduced to a small internal pen-shaped structure.
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Rasping organ called a radula: present in all groups except bivalves and Aplacophora |
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Muscular foot: used for locomotion and other tasks |
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A sheath of tissue called the mantle that covers the body and can secrete the shell (if there is one) |
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A mantle cavity that houses the gills or lungs |
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A calcium shell present in most molluscs: some molluscs have greatly reduced their shells, e.g., squid; while others have completely lost it, e.g., slugs, nudibranchs, and octopus |
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Classification | Common Name |
Endoceras sp. |
giant nautiloid |
Helix aspera |
garden snail |
Haliotis rufescens |
red abalone |
Calliostoma ligatum |
blue top snail |
Mitra mitra |
Episcopal miter |
Muricanthus sp. |
Muricanthus |
Syrinx aruanus |
Australian trumpet shell |
Ceratostoma foliatum |
leafy hornmouth |
Clinocardium nutallii |
basket cockle/heart cockle |
Polinices lewisii |
Lewis's moon snail |
Nautilus macromphalus |
chambered nautilus |
Loligo opalescens |
market/opalescent squid |
Vampyroteuthis infernalis |
vampire squid |
Octopus sp. |
wonderpus |
Octopus marginatus |
veined octopus |
Hapalochlaena sp. |
blue-ringed octopus |
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