What do mollusks eat? Some interesting facts from the life of spineless people

Molluscs spread around the Earth long before the appearance of a human being on it. It is believed that their ancestors were flatworms. It is still traced in the structure of their body. They live everywhere - in water, on land and plants, as well as in rocks and rocks. Do we know much about them? For example, what do shellfish eat? Who invented them for food? And do they know how to think? It is worth reading our article - and you will learn the most interesting facts from the life of these amazing creatures of nature.

Molluscs: interesting facts

Currently, more than two hundred thousand species of mollusks are known. More of them live on land, and many species are on the verge of dying. This is associated with the activities of a person who mercilessly exterminates some of them.

Everyone knows that French cuisine involves eating certain types of shellfish, but few know where the Europeans learned to eat these animals. In fact, until the fifteenth century, Europe did not consider edible these slippery animals. The discovery of America and familiarity with the customs of the Indians served as the opening of a new era in cooking. The Spaniards saw that the Indians enjoyed eating various soft-bodied people with great pleasure. Some of them were cooked on fire, others were eaten without preliminary treatment. Surprised Spaniards did not immediately decide to try a new dish, but appreciated its taste literally from the first moment. It is from them that the addiction to mollusks has spread to all European countries.

If you imagine all the soft-bodied creatures without special abilities, then you are very wrong. For example, octopuses are able to distinguish and memorize colors and geometric shapes. There are even known cases when they became tame and gave in to training.

Clam classes

Despite the fact that there are many species of mollusks, there are three most famous classes of spineless:

• Gastropods.
• Bivalves.
• Cephalopods.

They have some differences, but on the whole are quite similar. Many people are concerned with the question of what mollusks eat and how they do it. Let's try to answer this question in the most detail.

What do the gastropods eat?

Gastropods are the largest in the world. They first migrated from the water to the land and now are densely distributed over it. The gastropods include:

• Ahatina;
• Grape snail;
• Trumpeter and others.

Scientists say that the largest gastropod is the guidak, weighing more than a half kilogram. What do shellfish eat like that?

It can be said that the gastropods are divided into predators and herbivores. Carnivorous carnivores can eat smaller mollusks - their saliva contains poison, paralyzing the victim. Some predators with the help of saliva with a small content of sulfuric acid can soften the shell of his victim and begin to digest it.

The remaining species of gastropods collect the remains of dead plants or algae from stones, they scrape them off with the help of the jaw and gently grate the grater.

What do bivalve mollusks feed on?

These mollusks have a dense shell consisting of two valves. They can move fairly quickly with a powerful leg located in the abdominal part of the animal's body. Bivalve molluscs include:

• Mussels;
• Oysters;
• Scallops and others.

What do mollusks live in a bivalve shell? Scientists call them "biofilters," they are able to filter through their mantle to four liters of sea water per hour. Nutrient organic matter settles in the digestive system of the mollusk, and water with mucus is discharged through siphons. Bivalve mollusks are excellent assistants of nature in the work of cleaning the seas and oceans.

Cephalopods: food

All cephalopods are predators, they eat small crustaceans and fish. Many eat even carrion. Attracted food cephalopod mollusks tentacles, which are located taste buds.

Nature is generous to amazing creatures. And one of them are mollusks, they are extraordinary animals that can exist anywhere in the world.