Snail by Lena Gvozdetska
Snails are an incredibly diverse animal. The term snail is typically used in reference to the terrestrial pulmonary molluscs one might find in the garden, however snails have adapted to exist not only on land, but in bodies of freshwater as well as saltwater. These adaptions were made possible by the snails' permeable skin which allows for respiration in most environments along with the presence of lungs, various locations of gills, or a combination of both. Though thousands of species exist, the main three divisions of snails are Opisthobranchs, Prosobranchs and Pulmonate snails. [1]
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Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda |
Essentially, all snails, to some degree, breathe through their skin and the gills which are situated in the palatial cavity. Yet, in terrestrial as well as some freshwater snails the gills have been reduced and instead have a collection of capillary blood vessels on the rear end of their palatial cavity which allows oxygen to enter and represent a simple lung. [1]
Physiological Differences in Relation to Respiration
Prosobranchs
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Pulmonate
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Opisthobranchs
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Respiratory Processes
Pulmonate
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Opisthobranchs and Prosobranchs
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Relating article
Scientists are currently researching the effects of temperature changes on gastropod respiration. This article illustrates an increased oxygen consumption noted in tropical snails due to their warmer living habitat. [3]
Did You Know? |
The world's largest snail, Syprinx aruanus, can grow to be up to 91 cm long and 18 kg in weight. Their unusually large, coiled shells are considered to be of high value by shell collectors. [4]
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