How do tusk shells move?
Tusk shells are a family of small mollusks that live in soft, muddy areas of the ocean floor in multiple regions of the world. They are named after their distinctive shell, which resembles an elephant’s tusk.BehaviorTusk shells spend their lives submerged in the soft ocean floor, scavenging for food, such as decayed animal matter. The tip of their shell, the posterior, is the only part exposed to the water.The HeadThe head of a tusk shell is at the wide base of the shell, pointed downwards into the muck on the sea floor. The tusk shell has no eyes or gills on its head, only a mouth and tentacles used for sensing food, as well as an appendage used for locomotion.MovementThe tusk shell moves around by using an appendage on its head called the “foot,” a fleshy disc full of tiny muscles. The foot is extended into the silt, then expands and serves as an anchor the tusk shell uses to pull itself forward.JewelryTraditionally, American Indians from the coast of California up to Alaska collecte
