Despite their diversity, mollusks share three essential traits. Slugs, snails, clams, and octopuses are molluscs.
The biggest group of molluscs, gastropods live in sea, freshwater, and land. Gastropods contain slugs and snails, so most people know them.
Bivalve mollusks are unique. No head or radula. These invertebrates have two shells connected by a ligament. Both shells look similar.
Chitons are small marine mollusks. These crustaceans cling to rocks and other rough surfaces. They thrive in rocky intertidal zones with fluctuating tides and waves.
Octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, and nautiluses are cephalopods. Many cephalopod species defy the stereotype of basic, stupid invertebrates. In fact, octopuses have many brains.
Mantles are creatures with symmetrical, large heads. Tentacles assist move, manipulate, and grab prey. When threatened, cephalopods release ink.
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