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  1. Gastropod shell - Wikipedia

    The gastropod shell is part of the body of many gastropods, including snails, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also …

  2. How Do Snails Get Their Shells? - HowStuffWorks

    It's during the gestation period that a snail's shell begins to form. The mantle is a crucial organ possessed by mollusks such as snails. Its function? Making and developing shells. Calcium …

  3. The Structure of Snail Shells Explained | Britannica

    NARRATOR: Snail shells were originally developed to protect the snails' internal organs, which are located in a visceral hump. At birth, the visceral hump turns along its lineal axis, eventually creating a …

  4. How Do Snails (And Other Molluscs) Create Their Shells?

    Nov 15, 2023 · Snails and other molluscs create shells through a process called biomineralization. Through a shell gland, they secrete an organic matrix of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids that …

  5. Snail Anatomy Explained: All About Gastropod Physiology

    May 6, 2024 · The shell of a snail is its most distinctive feature and serves as its primary means of protection. It’s a spiral-shaped structure, which varies in size and pattern across different species.

  6. Do Snails Make Their Shells? How the Process Works

    Aug 8, 2025 · Snails construct their own shells, a process that begins even before they hatch. This is managed by a specialized organ called the mantle, a soft tissue layer. The mantle plays a central …

  7. Snails & Their Shells: Everything You Need to Know - Meadowia

    Nov 6, 2022 · Snails live and die in the same shell, and cannot be separated from their shell without dying. It may appear as though snails change shells, as the shell grows over their lifetime.

  8. IndySnails - Snail Structure

    When you see a live snail, you are missing most of the body - it is inside. You can see the muscular gliding foot and the head with its two pairs of tentacles. The upper pair contain the eyes and the …

  9. Gastropod - Shell Structure, Anatomy, Diversity | Britannica

    The typical snail has a calcareous shell coiled in a spiral pattern around a central axis called the columella. Generally, the coils, or whorls, added later in life are larger than those added when the …

  10. What is the scientific name for a snail's shell? - Color With Leo

    In summary, the iconic swirl-shaped shell universally associated with snails and other gastropods is scientifically known as the gastropod shell. This spiral structure is expertly crafted by the mollusk to …