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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]
Behaviorally, cockles live buried in sediment, whereas scallops either are free-living and will swim into the water column to avoid a predator, or in some cases live attached by a byssus to a substrate. The mantle has three apertures (inhalant, exhalant, and pedal) for siphoning water and for the foot to protrude.
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]
Molluscs can also carry angiostrongyliasis, a disease caused by the worms of the Angiostrongylus spp., which can occur after voluntarily or inadvertently consuming raw snails, slugs, other mollusks and even unwashed fruits and vegetables.
Various body parts of the crustacean will have a different mineral content, varying the hardness at these locations with the harder areas being generally stronger. This calcite shell provides protection for the crustaceans, meaning between molting cycles the crustacean must avoid predators while it waits for its calcite shell to form and harden.
Argonauts are capable of altering their color. They can blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators. They also produce ink, which is ejected when the animal is being attacked. This ink paralyzes the olfaction of the attacker, providing time for the argonaut to escape. The female is also able to pull back the web covering of her shell ...
Queen conch are mollusks that live in spiral sandy-colored shells with a bright pink or orange interior. They can be found throughout the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. They can be found ...
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]