Category:Mollusk

Mollusk

A mollusk is a soft-bodied invertebrate belonging to the phylum Mollusca, a diverse group of animals that includes creatures such as snails, clams, octopuses, and squid. These animals typically have a soft, unsegmented body that is often protected by a hard, calcareous shell, though some, like octopuses, have lost their shells over evolutionary time. Mollusks possess a muscular foot, which they use for locomotion, and a mantle, a specialized tissue that secretes the shell and forms a cavity housing vital organs. Many mollusks also have a radula, a specialized feeding organ with rows of tiny, chitinous teeth used to scrape or cut food before ingestion. Found in a wide range of environments from deep oceans to freshwater habitats and even terrestrial regions, mollusks are known for their adaptability and play important roles in their ecosystems as grazers, filter feeders, and predators.