Examples of Gastropods

What are gastropods?

Gastropods or gastropods are a type of mollusk that exist in greater diversity in the world and currently there are an estimated 35,000 species. These organisms were formerly known as univalves however this term was pushed aside for the one indicated in the title. They come in various shapes and sizes as well as being found in numerous settings.

It is known that more than 60% of these species live in the sea, the rest of it is distributed between fresh water and land. The respiration of the aquatic gastropods is branchial, while the terrestrial ones have pulmonary respiration.

Characteristics

These animals are sedentary , their name comes from two Greek words: “gastro” which means belly and “pruning” which is foot, this means that their form of mobilization is through movements they perform with their belly, the best known are the snails and slugs , are also characterized by very slow.

- Gastropods have an important characteristic, their body in general is very soft and this makes them vulnerable to any type of predator, however they have a shell or also called a shell.
- there are some species that can fit the whole body but others cannot

the slugs lack this shell, which do have the armor, this usually has a spiral shape

the foot would be its lower part which is usually flat although with a fairly considerable amount of muscles
locomotion occurs due to contractions and this is accompanied by a type of viscous segregation which acts as a lubricant that helps displacement movements.
They have organs that allow them to perceive their surroundings, they have eyes, a sense of smell, in addition to having statocysts with which they can be balanced, although it is necessary to say that these organs can vary in shape and size depending on the species.