Tusk shells facts for kids
Tusk shells are a special type of mollusc that live in the ocean. They get their name because their shells look a bit like tiny elephant tusks. Scientists call them Scaphopoda. This name means "shovel-footed" because of how they use their foot to dig.
Quick facts for kids Tusk shells |
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| A shell of the scaphopod Antalis vulgaris from France | |
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Scaphopoda
Bronn, 1862
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Dentaliida |
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Contents
What Are Tusk Shells?
Tusk shells are a group of marine animals. They are part of the Mollusc family, like snails and clams. Most tusk shells are quite small. There are about 500 different kinds of tusk shells alive today. Scientists have also found over 900 kinds of Fossil tusk shells.
Where Do Tusk Shells Live?
These animals usually live deep in the ocean. They do not live where the tide goes in and out. Instead, they dig into the soft mud or sand on the ocean floor. You can find them at depths up to about 700 meters (about 2,300 feet).
How Tusk Shells Live
Each tusk shell lives inside a long, tube-shaped shell. This shell is open at both ends. The animal stays attached inside its shell. It can close one end of the tube if it needs to.
Reproduction of Tusk Shells
Tusk shells reproduce in a simple way. They use sexual reproduction. This means that a male tusk shell and a female tusk shell are needed to create new baby tusk shells.
Images for kids
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Dentalium octangulatum
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Fossil of Entalis laevis.
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Tusk shell necklace from Bronze Age (MHNT).
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Shell of Calliodentalium semitracheatum (Boissevain, 1906) (specimen at MNHN, Paris)
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See also
In Spanish: Concha colmillo para niños
