Marsh Liptooth

(Daedalochila triodontoides)

Adaptations

     Marsh Liptooth is a very unique organism. This snail lives in a very diverse, ever changing environment. Marsh liptooth requires a moist, dark environment to live, or it will dry up and die (Perez & Cordeiro, 2008). In order to prevent itself from drying out and dying from the heat, this snail has adapted through its ability to curl into its shell and seals it with a thick liquid in order to lock the moisture inside the shell (ORACLE Think Quest Education Foundation, 2003).

 Marsh Liptooth, which is a member of the class Gastropoda, has a twisted digestive tract (Hickman, et al., 2009). The anus and the mantle cavity are above the head, which is a developmental feature called torsion (Hickman, et al., 2009). Because of this feature, most snails are prone to fouling, which is when waste from the snail might pass back through its gills (Hickman, et al., 2009). However, one adaptation that could be indirectly linked to fouling is the right gill has been lost, which reduces the effects of fouling (Hickman, et al., 2009). Marsh Liptooth is a terrestrial snail, so it does not have gills, which means that it doesn't have to worry about fouling.

Interactions is next, or go back to the home page!

Contents

• • Welcome
  • Classification
  • Habitat
  • Nutrition
  • Reproduction
  • Adaptations
  • Interactions
  • Fun Facts
  • Resources
  • Contact Us