EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Malacology is the field of science which studies the molluscs (phylum Mollusca) which includes familiar groups of invertebrates (animals without a back bone) including snails and slugs, clams and mussels, squids, octopuses, scallops, oysters, and chitons.

Detailed explanation-2: -Malacology is the study of mollusks (snails, clams, octopods, etc.).

Detailed explanation-3: -Malacology-pronounced ma·luh·kaa·luh·jee-is the study of molluscs, a large and spectacularly diverse group of soft-bodied, invertebrate animals.

Detailed explanation-4: -Giuseppe Saverio Poli, recognized by many as the father of malacology, changed this with his monumental publication, Testacea utriusque Siciliae eorumque historia et anatome (1791-1827). Poli, born in 1746 in Molfetta, Italy, studied classics, theology, and natural sciences at the University of Padua.

Detailed explanation-5: -Etymology. From French malacologie, contraction of malacozoologie, from the (obsolete) taxonomic name Malacozoa + French-ologie (“-ology”), Malacozoa being in turn from Ancient Greek (malakós, “soft”) + (zôion, “animal”). Equivalent to malaco-+-logy.