Coenaculum tertium facts for kids

Coenaculum tertium is a tiny type of sea snail that lives in the ocean. It's a gastropod mollusk, which means it belongs to a big group of animals that often have shells, like snails, clams, and octopuses. This particular snail is part of the family called Tofanellidae.

Scientists have discovered four different kinds of snails in the Coenaculum group, or genus. Coenaculum tertium is one of them. The other three are Coenaculum minutulum, Coenaculum secundum, and Coenaculum weerdtae.

What is a Sea Snail?

Sea snails are amazing creatures that live all over the world's oceans, from shallow waters to the deep sea. They are a type of mollusk, which is a group of soft-bodied animals. Many sea snails have a hard, spiral shell that they carry on their backs. This shell acts like a portable home and protection from predators.

How Do Sea Snails Live?

Sea snails move around using a strong, muscular "foot" that helps them glide along surfaces like rocks or the seabed. They often have two tentacles on their head, which they use to feel their way around and sometimes to smell. Their diet can vary a lot; some snails eat algae, others are scavengers, and some are even predators that hunt other small marine animals.

Gastropods and Mollusks

Coenaculum tertium is a gastropod. The word "gastropod" actually means "stomach-foot," which is a good way to describe these animals because their foot is located under their body. Gastropods are the largest and most diverse group of mollusks. They include not only sea snails but also land snails and slugs.

The Mollusk Family

Mollusks are a huge group of invertebrate animals, meaning they don't have a backbone. Besides gastropods, the mollusk family also includes:

• Bivalves, like clams and oysters, which have two shells.
• Cephalopods, like octopuses and squids, which are very intelligent and have tentacles.
• And several other smaller groups.

Most mollusks live in water, but some, like land snails, live on land. They play important roles in their ecosystems, from being food for other animals to helping clean the water.

Where Does Coenaculum tertium Live?

While we don't have specific details about Coenaculum tertium's exact home, we know from scientific records that other snails in the Coenaculum genus, and many other gastropods, are found in the waters around New Zealand. This suggests that Coenaculum tertium likely lives in the marine environments of that region.

Discovery of the Species

Coenaculum tertium was first officially described by a scientist named R. K. Dell in 1952. When a scientist "describes" a new species, it means they carefully examine it, give it a scientific name, and publish their findings so other scientists can learn about it. This helps us understand and keep track of all the different living things on Earth.