All mollusks build their own shells, whether they live in water or on land. Creatures like snails, clams, oysters and mussels use an organ called a mantle to secrete layers of calcium carbonate, which ...

Variation in land-snail shell form has been extensively documented, but its causes are poorly understood. For no character are there general rules relating shell form to environmental characteristics, ...

Snail shells coil in response to a lopsided protein gradient across their shell mantles, finds new research. In contrast the shell mantle of limpets, whose shells do not coil, have a symmetrical ...

Generally, a shell is an evolutionary trait that allows a creature to retreat from predators. This is the case for almost all snails. But at least two species of snails use their shell in a much more ...