San Carlos Bay
- Catalog Number:
- 30979
- Specimen Count:
- 6
- Precise Locality:
- Locality:
- Mexico
- Collecting Date:
- 1/66
- Collecting Locality:
- North America, Gulf of California, San Carlos Bay, Mexico, Sonora
- Upper Level Taxonomy:
- Animalia, Mollusca, Gastropoda, Neotaenioglossa, Calyptraeidae
The gastropods are the most diverse group of mollusks, and include snails, slugs, limpets, conchs, sea slugs, and others. They typically have a coiled body form with a twisted gut and nervous system. The coiling results in the unusual arrangement of their anus being above their head. Most have a corresponding coiled shell. Coils are added as the gastropod grows, and they tend to get larger, making a cone shape. Some shells are adorned with spines, grooves, or other textures that add strength. Many have a hard flap (operculum) on the foot that can be closed over the shell opening like a trap door. The shape of a gastropod shell often can be used to identify species. A gastropod's shell not only protects it from predation, but also keeps land species (terrestrial) from drying out. Some terrestrial gastropods that live in humid places, such as slugs, have a thin shell or no shell at all.