These three groups are all related. They are molluscs, shellfish that live in the water (except for land snails).
GastropodsGastropods are snails and slugs. They move along on a slimy foot and feel their way with tentacles. A second pair of tentacles have small eyes on the end.
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CephalopodsCephalopods are squids, cuttlefish and octpuses. They are called shellfish even though we can't see a shell. Squids and cuttlefish do have one shell inside.
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BivalvesBivalves have two shells joined with a hinge. The animal lives inside. Some that you might know are clams, mussels, scallops and oysters.
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WormsWorms can live in oceans, beach sand and on the land. We often see earthworms when we dig in the ground. They have lots of segments but no legs.
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EchinodermsSea urchins, sea cucumbers and sea stars are all echinoderms.
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InsectsInsects have six legs. They lay eggs. Their babies (larvae) do not look like adults. (Some insect babies you may know are caterpillars, maggots, wrigglers, grubs.) The larva becomes a chrysalis and metamorphoses (changes) into an adult insect.
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ArachnidsArachnids have eight legs. They lay eggs and their babies look like little adults. Arachnids are spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites.
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CrustaceansCrustaceans have a hard shell (exoskeleton) which they must shed to grow. Some crustaceans are crabs, lobsters, yabbies, shrimp, krill and crayfish. They live in water and lay their eggs in water although some crabs spend much of their life on land.
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These three groups are all related. They are arthropods. Animals with jointed legs and an exoskeleton (hard outer covering).
Garden detective Click on the picture to find out about the many invertebrates that live in our gardens.
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Animal Atlas. This is a Youtube video, so you can't see it at school, but you can watch it at home. It is all about invertebrates.
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