It is unlikely that you are familiar with the name ‘mollusc’. However, you may be surprised when you learn that they are some common animals that we come across in our day-to-day life. A snail is a mollusc.
Molluscs are a large and diverse group of invertebrates, belonging to the Gastropods species. They include a variety of familiar animals well-known for their decorative shells or as sea food. Tiny snails, clams, and squid, cuttle fish and octopuses are just some animals that belong to this group.
Molluscs have soft bodies, and get their name from the Latin word ‘mollis’ which means ‘soft’. Some of these animals have very beautiful shells. Snails have twisted shells, while others have shells that are pearly or iridescent.
Molluscs have a body part called a foot. Their foot is much like our foot, because it helps them move about.
Molluscs also have a special feature called radula. The radula is a sharp tongue-like body part that is used to scrape food off hard surfaces and push it into their mouths.
The giant calm is the largest mollusc. A giant calm can weigh upto 340 kilogrammes. They are beautifully coloured. Their mantle is usually a mixture of yellow, red, green, blue, pink and brown colour and each of them has a unique combination of colours. They have thick, bony zigzag shaped shells that cannot be closed completely.
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