Adaptation

File:Radula diagram3.png

Not much is written about Patera binneyana so there is very limited information about this snail and its adaptations. The best place to start would to be to look at the family this snail belongs to, Polygyridea, and see what the overall adaption for this family is. Like most other snail family the snails in this family are equipped with something called a radula. This is an evolutionary adaptation that can be found all species of snails (Hickman et al., 2011).  The radula is a set of teeth that point backward into the mouth of the snail, as seen in the picture below. It’s a membrane that is very rubbery and meant for ripping and tearing at food and pushing it back into the mouth (Hickman et al., 2011). This would help the snail break down its food and help move it into its digestive tract.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One adaptation that helps this snail survive in the Mountains of Ozark is the fact that it has a shell. Because of this shell the snail can hold onto more water in its body than if it didn’t have a shell. The Mountains are some of the driest places in the state of Arkansas and the development of the shell helps this snail to live in such a place.