Mighty Mollusks Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Mollusks are a phylum of invertebrates that possess four distinct characteristics: they have a soft, muscular body, a mantle with one cavity used for feeding and excretion, a nerve ring nervous system with two pairs of nerve cords and a radula used for feeding. All mollusks share these characteristics except for bivalves which lack radula because they are filter feeders.

There are many types of mollusks which include cephalopods like squid, gastropods like snails, bivalves like clams and scaphods like tooth shells. Mollusks are primarily marine animals and can be found in either salt or freshwater. They have the power of locomotion, meaning they can move around freely.

Some mollusks, like oysters, can produce pearls. A pearl is formed when an irritant, usually a grain of sand, makes its way into the mantle of a mollusk. Many bivalves and other mollusks can create pearls but typically only an oyster's pearl is commercially popular because of its luster. Some mollusks may also be poisonous to humans, although not many are. Octopi are technically all poisonous to humans but very few pose actual threats. The blue-ringed octopus is one notable exception. Cone snails are also poisonous. Generally speaking, the venom of mollusks is slower-acting than that of other animals.