mollusc
Soft-bodied creature
Mollusc is the British spelling of mollusk—a soft-bodied invertebrate typically protected by a shell.
The category includes snails, clams, oysters, mussels, octopuses, and squids.
The beach was littered with mollusc shells.
Molluscs form one of the largest animal phyla, mostly marine but also freshwater and terrestrial.
Tentacled marine mollusk class
- gastropodSingle-shelled soft creature
- bivalveTwo-shelled mollusk
- chitonDraped Hellenic attire
- octopusEight-limbed sea mollusk
snail · clam · squid · cuttlefish · slug · nautilus · limpet · mussel
Edible land snails
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
- clamsEdible burrowing mollusks
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- squidTen-armed marine mollusk
octopus · scallops · calamari · abalone · conch · cockles · geoduck · whelk
Covering or wrap
- radulaMollusk scraping organ
- tentacleFlexible grasping appendage
- siphonLiquid transfer tube
- footLeg's lowest part
shell · nacre · operculum · valve · ink sac · beak · gill · coelom
Curve winding around center
- coilingLooping around repeatedly
- bivalveTwo-shelled mollusk
- univalveSingle-shelled mollusk
- cowrieGlossy marine gastropod shell
chambered · whorl · apex · spire · hinge · pearl · iridescence · collecting
Extinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- belemniteExtinct squid-like mollusk
- fossilizationOrganic remains becoming mineral
- CambrianEarliest Paleozoic period
- OrdovicianPaleozoic geological period
Cretaceous · sediment · strata · impression · petrification · mineralization · excavation · extinction
Concealment through visual blending
- inkWriting fluid
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
- filter-feedingTrapping particles from water
- grazingFeeding on pasture
predation · nocturnal · hermaphrodite · spawning · egg mass · locomotion · adhesion · drilling
cephalopod
Tentacled marine mollusk class
octopus · snail · clam · squid · cuttlefish · slug · nautilus · limpet · mussel · oyster
escargot
Edible land snails
squid · octopus · scallops · calamari · abalone · conch · cockles · geoduck · whelk · ceviche
mantle
Covering or wrap
foot · shell · nacre · operculum · valve · ink sac · beak · gill · coelom · calcium carbonate
spiral
Curve winding around center
cowrie · chambered · whorl · apex · spire · hinge · pearl · iridescence · collecting · beachcombing
ammonite
Extinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- belemniteExtinct squid-like mollusk
- fossilizationOrganic remains becoming mineral
- CambrianEarliest Paleozoic period
Ordovician · Cretaceous · sediment · strata · impression · petrification · mineralization · excavation · extinction · nautiloid
camouflage
Concealment through visual blending
- inkWriting fluid
- burrowingDigging to create shelter
- filter-feedingTrapping particles from water
grazing · predation · nocturnal · hermaphrodite · spawning · egg mass · locomotion · adhesion · drilling
mollusccrustacean
Aquatic arthropod with exoskeleton
arthropod · insect · echinoderm · crab · lobster
- mollusk shellsInvertebrate exoskeletons from sea