Gastropoda

The class gastropoda is made up of snails, slugs, sea hares, cowrie, nudibranchs, and limpets. The snails have the most diverse coiled shells,usually spirally coiled. These animals have a muscular foot used for locomotion. In some, this foot is modified for swimming and burrowing. They are some of the most common animals found in the rocky intertidal.

Most snails and limpets scrape algae from the rocks. They use their radula for this. As common herbivores, they can have a significant impact on the plant species present in an area. As predators, they may have a similar effect on animals, especially other molluscs. Some gastropods, like the whelks, periwinkles and cone shells are carnivores and can use their radula to bore holes through the shells of other snails.

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