Gastropoda
Cone
shells
Limpets
Whelks
NOTE: This gallery is so far only available in German!
| Snails Gastropoda |
| Introduction |
|
The about 43.000 snails known to science not only live on dry land, but also
in fresh water and, of course, in the sea.
|
| Body Structure and Organs |
|
Information on the body structure of
gastropods:
Locomotion,
nervous
system and
senses,
respiration and blood
circulation,
nutrition and reproduction. |
| Snails' Tentacles |
|
The tentacles or feelers are a
promi-nent part of a snail's body. How do these tactile organs work? |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
|
As diverse as are the gastropods on land, in fresh water
and in the sea, as diverse are their methods of acquiring food. |
| The Shell |
|
Morphology of a gastropod's shell:
Development, construction and repair... |
| Terrestrial snails |
|
The transition to
life on land brought with it the evolution of a very large number of species.
Because they are the only molluscs to live on land, gastropods today make by far
the largest part of all molluscs... |
| Shell Coiling |
|
Some snail species have left
handed shells, others have right handed shells. How does that happen? And
what is the reason for the very rare sinistral shells in otherwise dextral
species?
|
| Garden pests |
|
Snails in the vegetables enrage
gardeners. What can be done? |
| Enemies |
|
Snails' enemies are
beyond count. There
are some species almost from every animal group, that at least partly feed on
snails, not at least other snails. |
| Polymorphism |
|
Why are there so many different
variations in colours and patterns of banded snails? Polymorphism is a
protection by evolution... |
| Visiting a Snail Farm |
|
On the opening day of the Bähler
family's snail farm I paid a very interesting visit... |
| Fresh Water Snails |
|
Snails not only live on dry land, but also in rivers, lakes and ponds, like, for example, pond snails do.
|
| Parasitism |
|
Snails
can be infested by many
parasites, some of which may also be harmful to humans, such as the bilharziosis
parasite.
|
| Sea snails and shells |
|
The sea is the ancient home of
the snails, as well as of other molluscs. Here there are, for example: Cone
shells
Limpets
Whelks
|
| Systematics |
|
Systematics and taxonomy of Gastropoda...
|
| Snails in art |
|
Because of the natural beauty of
snail shells, artists have on many occasions used them as a motive ...
|
| Interactive Gallery |
|
My best pictures of snails and
other molluscs can be found on the
inter-active
picture gallery ... NOTE: This gallery is so far only available in German! |
| Discussion Board |
|
Meet me and other snail enthusiasts on the petsnails.co.uk
discussion board!
|
| Snail Links |
|
Links to other snail and slug pages... |