Hobbies And Interests
Snails
The common European tadpole snail has a 1/2-inch shell. The animal has a long foot with a rounded front, which is thin and pointed in the rear. The head has two long thin tentacles with an eye at the base of each. The snail's mantle is large and fringed and can cover part of the shell. The radula, a rasplike organ with tiny teeth, has a large number of teeth. The snail lives in Europe and Africa, and likes still, muddy bottomed fresh ponds and lakes.
Painted polymitas have beautiful multicolored shells. No two are alike. The snail has a well developed foot and two pairs of tentacles. The upper pair is longer than the lower and each upper tentacle has an eye at the end. It's a hermaphrodite and the genitals have a dart kept in a pouch. It's only found in the Oriente Province of Cuba and lives on the ground and in trees.
Octopi
The common octopus has a worldwide range in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas. It lives near the coast, usually at a depth of 100 to 150 meters. The octopus can grow 1 to 3 feet long and has eight arms lined with suckers. The female lays between 100,000 to 500,000 eggs, and stays with them till they hatch. During this time, which could be from four to five months, she doesn't eat. After the eggs hatch she dies. The octopus usually eats sea snails and bivalves. The greater blue, ringed octopus is found in the shallow waters off Australia in coral and rock pools. It likes to hide inside seashells or even bottles and cans. It's dark brown to dark yellow with brilliant blue rings that glow. The blue, ringed octopus makes a poison that is lethal to both its prey and to human beings. Still, the octopus isn't aggressive and spends a solitary life in hiding. It only weighs an average of 1.94 oz.
Squid
The jumbo or Humbolt squid lives in the eastern Pacific ocean from northern California to southern Chile to a depth of 2,296 feet. It can grow to over 6 1/2 feet in length and weigh up to 110 lbs. It has excellent eyesight and can change color -- when it's brought to the surface it turns bright red. Still, it lives only about a year. The vampire squid lives so deep down in the sea -- in depths from 4,921 to 8,202 feet -- that very little light reaches it. Like most squid the vampire squid has 10 arms -- eight long arms and two arms that can extend well past the length of the animal and can be retracted. It has black skin, webs between its arms and enormous red eyes. A 6-inch-long squid might have an eye that's an inch across.
Chitons
Chitons belong to the class polyplacophora, which include about 600 species. They live on the hard bottoms and rocky coasts all over the world and have been found in waters as deep as 23,000 feet. The squamose chiton is 2 to 3 inches long and is divided into eight joined plates. It has a radula that is made up of rows of 15 teeth. The common West Indian chiton is around the same size and also has eight plates. It has a very large muscular oval foot and the mouth is in the center of a head. The gills begin immediately behind the head and extend the length of the animal's body. Both of these chitons live in the West Indies.