AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -mollusk, also spelled mollusc, any soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell secreted by a soft mantle covering the body.

Detailed explanation-2: -Molluscs are a clade of organisms that all have soft bodies which typically have a “head” and a “foot” region. Often their bodies are covered by a hard exoskeleton, as in the shells of snails and clams or the plates of chitons.

Detailed explanation-3: -Soft-bodied invertebrates, mollusks include slugs, snails, octopuses, squid, clams, and mussels. Most mollusks have SHELLS to protect them.

Detailed explanation-4: -The mollusc (or mollusk) shell is typically a calcareous exoskeleton which encloses, supports and protects the soft parts of an animal in the phylum Mollusca, which includes snails, clams, tusk shells, and several other classes.

Detailed explanation-5: -In phylum Mollusca, the animals have a soft, unsegmented body, with a hard, calcareous shell to protect the soft body. They have a muscular foot to help locomotion and act as a weapon in some cases. Example: Snail, slug, oyster, mussel, clam, squid and octopus.