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The radula (US: / ˈ r æ dʒ ʊ l ə /; pl.: radulae or radulas) [1] is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. [2] It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus .
The mollusc does not elongate when crawling and the location of the head is revealed when it thrusts out its rolled rhinophores from beneath the shell. At the base of the rhinophores are a pair of eyes, and beneath is a cleft which contains the mouth. The radula is broad and is armed with many small teeth.
Muscles that control the radula are shown in brown. The surface of the radula ribbon, with numerous teeth, is shown as a zig-zag line. The odontophore is part of the feeding mechanism in molluscs. It is the cartilage which underlies and supports the radula, a ribbon of teeth. [1] The radula is found in every class of molluscs except for the ...
Eye of a snail. 1 - anterior chamber, 2 - lens, 3 - retina, 4 - optic nerve. Drawing of cross section of the eye of Helix pomatia. 1 - lens 2 - olfactory epithelium 3 - corneal epithelium 4 - corneal endothelium 5 - retina 6 - layer with rod cells 7 - fibrous connective tissue layer 8 - nerve of the eye
The buccal mass is the first part of the digestive system, and consists of the mouth and pharynx. The mouth includes a radula, and in most cases, also a pair of jaws. The pharynx can be very large, especially in carnivorous species. Many carnivorous species have developed a proboscis, containing the oral cavity, radula, and part of the ...
The radula primarily functions to scrape bacteria and algae off rocks, and is associated with the odontophore, a cartilaginous supporting organ. [16] The radula is unique to the molluscs and has no equivalent in any other animal. Molluscs' mouths also contain glands that secrete slimy mucus, to which the food sticks.
The subradular organ is a sensory organ below the grinding mouthparts of some molluscs, specifically the chitons. [1] This organ is involved in chemoreception - that is, in judging the nature of food or the substratum. In this sense, it can be considered a 'smell' or 'taste' organ; food is sensed before each stroke of the radula. [1]
The radula in this species is longer than the shell itself. It contains 1,920 teeth in 160 rows of 12 teeth each. Patella vulgata is found attached to firm substrates from the high shore to the edge of the sublittoral zone, although it predominates in areas of wave action. Its shell is conical, up to around 6 cm long, and lacks defined chirality.