gastropods
Slugs and snails
Gastropods are a class of mollusks that typically have a single coiled shell and move on a muscular foot—snails, slugs, whelks, and limpets.
The name refers to their "stomach-foot" anatomy, where the digestive system sits above the locomotion organ.
Slugs are gastropods that have lost or internalized their shells.
Gastropods inhabit marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments, making them one of the most diverse animal groups.
Edible land snails
- snailsShelled terrestrial gastropods
- conchSpiral-shelled marine gastropod
- abaloneNacreous marine gastropod
- periwinklesSmall marine gastropods
whelk · delicacy · garlic butter · French cuisine · harvesting · aquaculture · edible · limpets
Shell-less land mollusks
- snailsShelled terrestrial gastropods
- pestsBothersome insects or animals
- damageHarm or impairment
- lettuceLeafy salad vegetable
hostas · slime trail · nocturnal · herbivore · control · deterrent · beer traps · infestation
Soft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- phylumMajor classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
taxonomy · univalve · marine · terrestrial · freshwater · biodiversity · classification · fauna
Curve winding around center
- whorlSpiral arrangement of ridges
- apertureAdjustable optical inlet
- spireTapering architectural peak
- nacreIridescent shell coating
mother-of-pearl · coiling · cowrie · conch · murex · collecting · beachcombing · ornamental
Plant-only consumer
- detritivoreEats dead organic material
- grazerHerbivore eating low vegetation
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
food web · prey · predator · habitat · intertidal · reef · ecosystem · population
escargot
Edible land snails
- snailsShelled terrestrial gastropods
- conchSpiral-shelled marine gastropod
- abaloneNacreous marine gastropod
periwinkles · whelk · delicacy · garlic butter · French cuisine · harvesting · aquaculture · edible · limpets · sea snails
slugs
Shell-less land mollusks
lettuce · hostas · slime trail · nocturnal · herbivore · control · deterrent · beer traps · infestation · seedlings
mollusks
Soft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- phylumMajor classification rank
- classGrouping by shared traits
species · taxonomy · univalve · marine · terrestrial · freshwater · biodiversity · classification · fauna · organisms
spiral
Curve winding around center
nacre · mother-of-pearl · coiling · cowrie · conch · murex · collecting · beachcombing · ornamental · jewelry
herbivore
Plant-only consumer
- detritivoreEats dead organic material
- grazerHerbivore eating low vegetation
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
decomposition · food web · prey · predator · habitat · intertidal · reef · ecosystem · population · adaptation
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- fossilsdinosaur bones, ammonite, amber, ammonites, fossils
- mollusksclams, mollusk, mollusks, snail, snails
- shellsseashells, sea shells, shell, clam, oyster
- seafloor lifesea cucumber, sea cucumbers, sea urchin, sea urchins, sand dollar
- shell buildersbivalves, mollusks, brachiopods, barnacles, cephalopods
gastropodscephalopods
Mollusks with tentacles
squid · octopuses · nautiluses · cuttlefish · oysters