
Gastropod shell - Wikipedia
Most gastropod shells are spirally coiled. The majority (over 90%) [2] of gastropod species have dextral (right-handed) shells, but a small minority of species and genera are virtually always …
Gastropod Shapes and Description, Kentucky Geological Survey ...
Jan 5, 2023 · Most gastropod shells are coiled out of a single plane, which is termed conispiral coiling. In contrast, Nautilus, the modern cephalopod with a coiled shell, is coiled in the same …
Gastropod - Shell Structure, Anatomy, Diversity | Britannica
Mar 10, 2025 · The typical snail has a calcareous shell coiled in a spiral pattern around a central axis called the columella. Generally, the coils, or whorls, added later in life are larger than …
Class Gastropoda - Digital Atlas of Ancient Life
Sep 16, 2021 · The coiled gastropod shell is a conical tube wrapped in a spiral around a central, usually vertical, axis. The shell gets larger by adding material at the opening.
Gastropod - Characteristics, Examples, Anatomy, Fossils & Pictures
Sep 11, 2024 · These early forms primarily exhibited a coiled shell, the defining characteristic of gastropods. During the Ordovician Period, the first crown-group members of gastropods …
A note about planispiral coiling in gastropods
Jan 5, 2023 · Most gastropod (snail) shells are helically coiled around a central axis, and the aperture (opening) is to one side or the other of the axis of coiling. Helical coiling is distinctive …
Theoretical Morphology of the Coiled Shell | Science
In studying the functional significance of the coiled shell, it is important to be able to analyze the types that do not occur in nature as well as those represented by actual species. Both digital …
Gastropod Shapes and Description, Kentucky Geological Survey ...
Jan 5, 2023 · Gastropods have coiled shells. The shell is wrapped around a central axis, termed the columella, forming whorls. Each whorl is a complete revolution of the shell around the …
Parts of the shell – Common Whelk – Jessica's Nature Blog
May 14, 2011 · The top of the coiled shell, where the diameter of the tube is at its smallest, is called the apex of the shell. Each complete turn of the shell tube, each coil, is known as a whorl.
The Gastropod Shell: Nature’s Mobile Homes - Earth Life
Oct 15, 2020 · In typical gastropods the shell is an expanding spiral supported by a central rod called a columella. Shells can be coiled in either of two directions. These are referred to as …