The Mollusk
Mollusks have a soft body
and many have a hard shell.
Body
The body is soft and unsegmented.
The mollusk' s body is protected by
a shell or a tough wrapper.
Eyes
On the tip of each of the longer
tentacles of the snail is an eye. If an
eye is damaged, it regenerates itself.
Tentacles
The tentacles are slender, hollow tubes.
Some mollusks have one or two pair of
tentacles (snails, slugs); some have eight or
ten long tentacles (octopuses, squids); and
some do not have any tentacles (clams).
Shell
As it grows, the mollusk adds coil
after coil to its shell, building the shell
from the open end as it needs more room.
Mouth
The mouth of the mollusk
contains rows of very small teeth.
Mantle
The mantle is a skin-like organ.
In some mollusks the mantle produces
the substance that makes the shell
(snails, whelks, clams). For other mollusks,
the mantle forms a tough wrapper
around the body (octopuses, squids).
Foot
The foot of the mollusk is tough and
muscular. The foot contains glands
which pour out a slimy fluid for
a snail to move over a surface.
Respiratory Pore
The respiratory pore is toward
the front of the mantle edge.
Tail
The tail is the portion of the mollusk
that extends part the end of the shell.
Anus
The anus is a small opening
on the mantle edge of the mollusk.
Pinegreenwoods Montessori
Montessori Zoology
