A Shell for Shelter Slugs belong to the phylum Mollusca. Mollusks


have boneless bodies and strong feet. T ese invertebrates also have a rough tongue covered in tiny teeth. Some, like slugs, just have squishy bodies. Others, like mussels, have hard shells. A snail’s coiled shell keeps it safe. Part of its


banana slug


Land, Not Sea Invertebrates don’t just live in the ocean. Many


live on land. Take a banana slug. Big and bright yellow, it’s hard to miss as it crawls along the forest floor. Muscles ripple as it moves. Its gooey body leaves a slime trail wherever it goes. T e slug pauses. Two pair of soſt tentacles


wiggle on its head. T e top pair is its eyes. It uses the bottom pair like a nose, sniffing out a rotting mushroom. T e slug crawls to it. Its rough tongue scrapes up bits of mushroom.


body stays in its shell all the time. T at protects some of its organs. A snail’s shell also prevents it from drying out in hot weather. Other kinds of mollusks use shells in a


diff erent way. A female argonaut octopus makes a thin shell and climbs inside. She holds it with two arms as she floats in the sea. She also tucks her eggs in it. Aſt er hatching, the babies swim off . A violet sea snail also has a thin shell.


To survive in the sea, this blind snail makes bubbles. T ey float on the water like a raſt . T e snail hangs upside down in its shell from its bubble raſt .


golden tortoise beetle


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