How to Identify and Classify Snails

1. What is the primary characteristic used to initially classify a snail?

A) Diet
B) Foot color
C) Antennae length
D) Shell presence and type

2. A snail with a single, spiraled shell is likely a...

A) Gastropod
B) Polychaete
C) Bivalve
D) Cephalopod

3. What does 'dextral' refer to in snail shells?

A) The shell's texture
B) A left-handed spiral
C) A right-handed spiral
D) A shell with no spiral

4. The opening of a snail shell is called the...

A) Whorl
B) Aperture
C) Suture
D) Apex

5. What is the operculum?

A) A sensory organ
B) A layer of shell growth
C) The snail's mouth
D) A 'door' that closes the aperture

6. Snail shells are primarily composed of...

A) Calcium carbonate
B) Protein
C) Silica
D) Chitin

7. The pointed top of the shell is called the...

A) Columella
B) Lip
C) Base
D) Apex

8. What is a keel on a snail shell?

A) A deep groove
B) A sharp ridge
C) A growth line
D) A smooth surface

9. What type of environment do terrestrial snails inhabit?

A) Saltwater
B) Brackish water
C) Land
D) Freshwater

10. What is a key difference between marine and freshwater snails?

A) Size
B) Diet
C) Shell shape
D) Salinity tolerance

11. How do you identify a snail at the family level?

A) Only size
B) Only shell color
C) By its location
D) Analyzing shell and soft body features

12. What are the spiral lines on a snail shell's surface called?

A) Axial ribs
B) Growth rings
C) Varices
D) Spiral cords

13. What is the umbilicus of a snail shell?

A) A hole at the shell's base
B) The shell's texture
C) The shell's inner layer
D) The shell's outer lip

14. What feature is important when classifying snails based on their habitat?

A) Shell size
B) Shell color
C) Foot size
D) Adaptations to water availability

15. How is the size of a snail shell typically measured?

A) Only width
B) By weight
C) Length and width
D) Only length

16. What does 'sinistral' refer to in snail shells?

A) A right-handed spiral
B) The shell's color
C) A shell with no spiral
D) A left-handed spiral

17. The whorls of the snail shell are separated by...

A) Sutures
B) Apex
C) Columella
D) Aperture

18. What is the columella of a snail shell?

A) The apex
B) The central axis
C) A sensory organ
D) The outer lip

19. What is a varix on a snail shell?

A) A raised, thickened growth line
B) A smooth area
C) A spiral groove
D) A sharp spine

20. What is a common food source for terrestrial snails?

A) Insects
B) Small fish
C) Algae
D) Vegetation

21. Which snail is most likely to be found in a deep ocean trench?

A) A garden snail
B) A pond snail
C) A deep-sea snail
D) A tree snail

22. What is the function of the snail's foot?

A) Locomotion
B) Digestion
C) Shell creation
D) Respiration

23. Why is shell ornamentation important for snail identification?

A) Distinct patterns can define species
B) It determines size
C) It affects taste
D) It indicates age

24. Which feature helps snails adhere to surfaces?

A) Strong muscles
B) Mucus secretion
C) Sharp claws
D) Suction cups

25. What is the mantle of a snail?

A) Tissue that secretes the shell
B) The snail's brain
C) The respiratory organ
D) The muscular foot

26. What is the radula of a snail?

A) An internal gill
B) A reproductive organ
C) A rasping tongue-like organ
D) A sensory tentacle

27. What type of diet is common for marine snails?

A) Exclusively herbivorous
B) Herbivorous, carnivorous, or detritivorous
C) Exclusively carnivorous
D) Only detritivorous

28. What feature distinguishes a pulmonate snail?

A) External gills
B) A very long foot
C) A lung-like cavity for breathing
D) Absence of a shell

29. What role do snails play in the ecosystem?

A) Producers of oxygen
B) Pollinators
C) Top predators
D) Decomposers and food source

30. How does pollution affect snail populations?

A) Increased shell growth
B) Shell damage and reduced reproduction
C) Attracts them to contaminated areas
D) Enhanced resistance to disease

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