Snails Sea Slugs and Limpets: Gastropoda - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Gastropods And People, No Common Name (corolla Spectabilis): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS
land animals living shell
Gastropods are found on all continents and in all oceans.
Gastropods live in a wide variety of habitats in the ocean, on land, and in bodies of fresh water.
Gastropods eat many kinds of foods. Some species filter out bits of plants, animals, and other organisms floating in the water. Many scrape algae (AL-jee) or crustlike animals off rocks in tide pools and elsewhere on the ocean bottom. Others prey on all kinds of freshwater or marine animals. Most species living on land eat both living and dead plants. Some land snails prey on earthworms or other snails.
One thousand one hundred eighty-two (1,182) species of gastropods are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as threatened or endangered.
Additional Topics
The most conspicuous feature of many gastropods is the shell. Although sometimes flattened and caplike, most shells are cone-shaped shelters into which they can completely withdraw their bodies. The single, lopsided shells are usually made up of spiraled tubes called whorls (worlz). The shells are lopsided because whorls form below one another, instead of around each other. In spite of the fact th…
Like most animals, gastropods must feed, fight, flee, and mate. To do all this they have developed many different behaviors. Most species sense their world through the presence of certain kinds of chemicals produced by their foods and other members of their own species. Aquatic species regularly move up and down in the water at certain times of the day in search of food and mates. Depending on the…
Physical characteristics: The body of this small, jellylike species is transparent. The dark contents of its digestive tract are clearly visible from the outside. It does not have a shell. Large, winglike plates stick out from the sides of the body. Adults measure up to 3 inches (80 millimeters) long, while the wing plates span 6 inches (160 millimeters) across. Geographic range: This species is f…
Physical characteristics: This species is the largest snail in Europe. Its ball-like shell is creamy white with spirals of brown bands. It measures up to 2 inches (50 millimeters) across. The body is gray with paler bumps. Geographic range: Originally from Central and Southern Europe, this species now also lives in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Spain. Habitat: They live in woods, hedges, an…
Physical characteristics: The surface of the hatlike shell has fine growth rings and ribs radiating out from the center like spokes on a wheel, with a high point slightly toward the front. The color varies from blue black to light brown, with or without white markings. Adult shells reach up to 2.3 inches (60 millimeters) across. Geographic range: They are found in the Northern Pacific Ocean, from …
Physical characteristics: This species has a large, cone-shaped shell with a wide base measuring 1.6 to 3.9 inches (40 to 100 millimeters) in height. The shell is marked with wavy, purplish pink lines These markings are sometimes covered by crustlike growths of algae. Geographic range: This species is found in the warm, tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Habitat: They live on coral reefs and in …
Physical characteristics: The shell spire is flat with knobby whorls. The shell opening is long and slightly expanded toward the front. The outer surface is marked with light, gold brown markings. Geographic range: This species is found in the warm, tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Habitat: They live around coral reefs, in sand, and on chunks of broken reefs. Diet: They eat fishes, worms, and …
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