Gastropods
Gastropods are single shelled molluscs that have a muscular
foot, which they propel themselves along the substrate with.
They have a range of feeding strategies, ranging from being
herbivorous in the case of paua (Haliotis iris) to
being voracious predators in the case of the whelk (Family:
Buccinidae). Gastropods have a greater degree of ‘cephalisation’
(concentration of sensory, feeding structures etc in a ‘head’
area) than the bivalves and have a spiral shell pattern.
Did
you know?
Aquatic gastropods belong to the same class of animals as the
land snails.
