EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The radula (US: /ˈrædʒʊlə/; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus.

Detailed explanation-2: -The mouth structures of many molluscs include a specially adapted rasp-like tongue called a radula. The radula is a hard ribbon-shaped structure covered in rows of teeth.

Detailed explanation-3: -You won’t find a radula anywhere in the human body, but it’s a common anatomical feature among animal species in phylum Mollusca. Biologists describe it as a rasping dental ribbon that replaces the tongue found in mammals. Oysters, clams and other bivalves are the only mollusks that lack this organ.

Detailed explanation-4: -The radula, part of the odontophore, may be protruded, and it is used in drilling holes in prey or in rasping food particles from a surface. It is supported by a cartilage-like mass (the odontophore) and is covered with rows of many small teeth (denticles).

Detailed explanation-5: -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.