Molluscs

We can all recognise a mollusc.

Snails, mussels, and squid are all different types of mollusc. Many molluscs have shells made of calcium carbonate. They may have outer shells, as snails do, or internal shells, held in inside their bodies, like those of cuttlefish.

The main groups of mollusc are the gastropods (snails), bivalves (cockles and mussels), and the cephalopods (squid, octopus, nautiloids and the extinct groups ammonites and belemnites). Click on one of three buttons below to learn more.

Because the molluscs are split into lots of different groups we have brought the wheel back - well the the mollusc bit of the wheel anyway!
Click on the different sections on the wheel to learn about each group.

The mollusc wheel
The molluscs are split into different groups - the gastropods, bivalves and cephalopods. The cephalopods are also split into three groups.

Molluscs
Gastropods
Bivalves
Cephalopods
Ammonites
Nautiloids
Belemnites

If you read these pages you should become an expert invertebrate identifier!
The major groups are listed below - select a link to learn more about this type of fossil.

Sponges Corals
Molluscs Brachiopods
Arthropods Graptolites
Echinoderms Return to the wheel

If you know it all already, return to the Homepage or test yourself with our Quiz!