What is the classification of a gastropod?

The gastropods (/ˈɡæstrəpɒdz/), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (/ɡæsˈtrɒpədə/).

What are two types of gastropods?

Gastropods are a highly diverse Class of molluscs that include limpets, whelks, periwinkles, abalones, venomous cone shells, and the shell-less nudibranchs, sea slugs and sea hares.

What are the characteristics of the class Gastropoda?

Gastropods typically have a large foot with a flat sole for crawling, a single coiled shell that covers the soft body, and a head that bears a pair of eyes and tentacles. However, they are so diverse that some forms lack shells, while animals in one genus have shells with two halves, like bivalves.

What are the three subclasses of Gastropoda?

There are three subclasses: Subclass Prosobranchia: limpets, winkles, whelks form the majority of gastropods; Subclass Opisthobranchia: the sea-slugs; Subclass Pulmonata: terrestrial and freshwater slugs and snails.

How many types of gastropods are there?

Gastropods/Lower classifications

What is the definition of Gastropoda?

Definition of gastropod

: any of a large class (Gastropoda) of mollusks (such as snails and slugs) usually with a univalve shell or none and a distinct head bearing sensory organs.

What is an example of a gastropod?

Gastropods/Lower classifications

Why is Gastropoda called so?

The word gastropod comes from Greek and means “stomach foot,” a name that owes its existence to the unusual anatomy of snails. Snails have a broad flat muscular “foot” used for support and for forward movement. This foot runs along the underside of the animal-essentially along its belly.

Why are snails called gastropods?

Snails and slugs are known as gastropods, which mean ‘stomach foot’. This describes the way in which the body and internal organs of slugs and snails has been twisted back so that the stomach lies above the large fleshy foot of these animals.

What are the most common gastropods?

Gastropods are the most diverse and abundant type of mollusks, with nearly 35,000 living and 15,000 fossil species identified so far. The group includes snails, slugs, conchs, whelks, and limpets. Like the familiar snail, most gastropods have a single coiled shell (slugs being a notable exception).

What is an example of a gastropod?

Gastropods/Lower classifications

What makes an animal a gastropod?

Most gastropods have a single, usually spirally coiled shell into which the body can be withdrawn, but the shell is lost or reduced some important groups. Gastropods are characterized by “torsion,” a process that results in the rotation of the visceral mass and mantle on the foot.

Is an octopus a gastropod?

So, this is the key difference between cephalopods and gastropods. Cephalopods include squid, octopuses, cuttlefish, and chambered nautiluses while gastropods include snails, conchs, abalones, whelks, sea slugs, and garden slugs.

Why is Gastropoda called so?

The word gastropod comes from Greek and means “stomach foot,” a name that owes its existence to the unusual anatomy of snails. Snails have a broad flat muscular “foot” used for support and for forward movement. This foot runs along the underside of the animal-essentially along its belly.

How many shells do gastropods have?

Gastropods generally have one helically coiled shell; within that groundplan there is immense variation in shape, size, ornamentation, coiling direction, and pigmentation (Fig.

Where can you find gastropod?

Gastropods live in many different environments, on land, in the sea, and in fresh water pools or streams. They use their broad flat foot for crawling, swimming or burrowing. Many gastropods are protected in a cap-shaped or coiled shell. It is these shells that are often found as fossils.

What is a gastropod family?

The Class Gastropoda (in Phylum Mollusca) includes the groups pertaining to snails and slugs. The majority of gastropods have a single, usually spirally, coiled shell into which the body can be withdrawn.

How do gastropods eat?

For feeding, gastropods use a radula, a hard plate that has teeth. Gastropod feeding habits are extremely varied, although most species make use of a radula in some aspect of their feeding behavior. Some graze, some browse, some feed on plankton, some are scavengers or detritivores, some are active carnivores.