Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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 radula works like a file, ripping food into small pieces. Many snails are herbivorous, eating plants or rasping algae from surfaces with their radulae, though a few land species and many marine species are omnivores or predatory carnivores. Snails cannot absorb colored pigments when eating paper or cardboard so their feces are also colored. [3]
Molecular clock analyses indicated that Dactyloradula diverged from other Radula species during the Mesozoic era, positioning it as an ancient genus-level lineage. The estimated age of divergence placed it as old as many flowering plant families, unusual for what was previously considered just one species within a larger genus.
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 ...
Radula amentulosa Mitt. Radula amoena Herzog Radula anceps Sande Lac. Radula aneurysmalis (Hook.f. & Taylor) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees Radula angulata Steph. Radula anisotoma M.A.M.Renner Radula appressa Mitt. Radula aquilegia (Hook.f. & Taylor) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees Radula assamica Steph. Radula australiana K.Yamada Radula australis Austin
Each specialized cone snail tooth is stored in the radula sac, except for the tooth that is in current use. [13] The radula tooth is hollow and barbed, and is attached to the tip of the radula in the radular sac, inside the snail's throat. When the snail detects a prey animal nearby, it extends a long flexible tube called a proboscis towards ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
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] Nerve cells from the subradular organ join into the buccal nerves. [2]