Knowra Tusk shell Tusk shell A marine mollusk in the class Scaphopoda, enclosed in a curved, tubular shell open at both ends. It lives mostly buried in seafloor sediment and feeds on small organisms.
Captacula : Thin, sticky tentacles around a scaphopod's mouth that capture small food particles. These tentacles reach through sediment to collect foraminiferans and other prey.
Mollusca : A large animal phylum that includes snails, clams, cephalopods, and their relatives. Scaphopods are one branch of this diverse group of soft-bodied animals.
Foraminiferal predation : The consumption of foraminiferans by predators, including some marine invertebrates. Scaphopod feeding can influence the abundance and distribution of these microscopic seafloor organisms.
Bivalvia : A mollusk class whose members typically have two hinged shells, including clams, oysters, and mussels. Bivalves enclose the body between paired valves rather than a single open-ended tube.
Radula : A ribbon-like feeding organ bearing rows of microscopic teeth, used by many mollusks to scrape or handle food. After captacula gather prey, the radula helps move and process it.
Scaphopoda : A class of marine mollusks with tubular shells open at both ends. This is the taxonomic class to which all tusk shells belong.
Seafloor sediment : Unconsolidated mineral and organic material covering the bottom of oceans and other bodies of water. Buried scaphopods inhabit this material and interact with its small organisms.
Gastropoda : A mollusk class that includes snails and slugs, usually characterized by a distinct head and muscular foot. Gastropods generally move over surfaces, unlike tusk shells that burrow with their foot.
Burrowing : Movement into or through a substrate by an animal, often using specialized body structures. Scaphopods use their foot to dig into sediment while the shell trails behind.
Molluscan shell : A hard external structure secreted by the mantle in many mollusks, usually composed largely of calcium carbonate. The tusk shell is a specialized molluscan shell, curved and open at both ends.
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