[Fauna Northwest: Animals of the Pacific Northwest]

Pacific Northwest Molluscs

European black slug (Arion subfuscus) at Gresham, OR (August 1994)

European black slug (Arion subfuscus)

Molluscs are soft bodied animals lacking backbones. Hence they are invertebrates. Their soft body is covered by a mantle which in most species, secretes a calcareous shell. All have a strong, muscular foot used for locomotion, digging, or predation. Most are aquatic, such as the bivalves (clams, mussels, scallops, etc), and cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish, nautilus, and octopi). The gastropods (snails, sea slugs, and slugs) are also largely aquatic, but many forms are also terrestrial.

Slugs and Snails of Oregon: A guide to common land molluscs and their relatives (ODA)


Last modified on Decmber 26, 2023.

Freshwater Mussel (clam):

Slugs

Terrestrial Snails

Brown-lipped Snail, Grove Snail: Cepaea nemoralis

 


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