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A molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specialises in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods and cephalopods.Known molluscivores include numerous predatory (and often cannibalistic) molluscs, (e.g.octopuses, murexes, decollate snails and oyster drills), arthropods such as crabs and firefly larvae, and, vertebrates such as fish, birds and mammals. [1]
For these freshwater snails, the siphon is an anti-predator adaptation. It reduces their vulnerability to being attacked and eaten by birds because it enables the apple snails to breathe without having to come all the way up to the surface, where they are easily visible to predators. [6]
Some species evolved an external anatomy with textures and colours that mimicked surrounding sessile invertebrate animals (often their prey sponges or soft corals) to avoid predators with camouflage. Other nudibranchs, as seen especially well on Chromodoris quadricolor , have an intensely bright and contrasting colour pattern that makes them ...
Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks [a] (/ ˈ m ɒ l ə s k s /). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda . [ 5 ]
Anti-predator adaptation in action: the kitefin shark (a–c) and the Atlantic wreckfish (d–f) attempt to prey on hagfishes. First, the predators approach their potential prey. Predators bite or try to swallow the hagfishes, but the hagfishes have already projected jets of slime (arrows) into the predators' mouths.
The Caribbean reef squid is the only squid species commonly sighted by divers over inshore reefs in the Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean regions. They are also found around Brazilian reef habitats, due to a symbiotic relationship in which the squid protect juvenile fish from open-ocean predators. [5]
The stop-start motion provided by the jets, however, continues to be useful for providing bursts of high speed – not least when capturing prey or avoiding predators. [14] Indeed, it makes cephalopods the fastest marine invertebrates, [ 15 ] : Preface and they can out accelerate most fish. [ 16 ]
Nautilus have been observed to spend days in deeper areas around coral reefs, to avoid predation from turtles and carnivorous fish, and ascend to shallow areas of the reef during nights. [18] [11] Here, they engage in scavenging activity, seeking out animal remains, and the moults of crustaceans. Nautilus species usually travel and feed alone.