Sea snail is a common name for snails that normally live in saltwater- marine gastropod molluscs. (The taxonomic class Gastropoda also includes snails that live in other habitats, i.e. land snails and freshwater snails.)
Sea snails are marine gastropods with shells. Those marine gastropods with no shells, or only internal shells, are variously known by other common names, including sea slug, sea hare, nudibranch, etc.
Many sea snails are edible and are exploited as food sources by humans.
Diversity within sea snails is enormous. Many very different clades of gastropods are either dominated by, or consist exclusively of, sea snails. Because of this great variability, generalization about the feeding, reproduction, habitat, or other traits of sea snails is not possible. Instead, individual clades, families, genera, or species must be assessed.
Read more about Sea Snail: Shells, Anatomy, Human Uses, Use By Other Animals, Definition, Cultural References, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words sea and/or snail:
“Through the hollow globe, a ring
of frayed rusty scrapiron,
is it the sea that shines?
Is it a road at the world’s edge?”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)
“The snail in his museum
wears his mother all day,
he hides his mysterious bottom
as if it were rotten fruit.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)