Marine Molluscs

Marine molluscs: Deep ocean to rocky shore
Molluscs are a diverse group of soft-bodied invertebrate animals. They range from deep ocean-dwelling squids, to shellfish that live in the sand on surf beaches. Six classes of animals make up the phylum Mollusca, including cephalopods, gastropods and bivalves, which are represented here.
Squids belong to the cephalopod class of molluscs. Some squids have an internal shell which supports them like a skeleton. Many of the shells which wash up on beaches are gastropod molluscs, which form ornate, single shells in a dazzling array of spiral forms. Bivalve molluscs have two shells around them joined by a hinge.