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 About the Phylum
Mollusca The word "Mollusca" comes from
the Latin molluscus, or soft.
Including such diverse animals as snails, oysters
and octopuses, this is one of the most familiar
of all the large animal groups. |
 Edible
Mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Mussels feed by straining
fine particles from the water together with small
floating organisms like diatoms. Mussels are so
efficient at filtering microscopic particles out
of the water that they can actually purify the
water around them. |
 Common
Octopus (Octopus vulgaris)
By suitable adjustments in color,
posture and texture an octopus can merge
completely with its background, and it can do so
very quickly. The octopus is
capable of learning. In an experiment, octopuses
were trained to distinguish between shapes and
also to recognize objects by touch. |
 Family
Haliotidae (Abalones) The abalone somewhat resembles a snail,
the body being little more than a muscular foot
with a head at one end, bearing a pair of eyes
and sensory tentacles. The body is also fringed
with tentacles. |
