Squid

True Wild Life | Squid | The squid is a marine cephalopod similar to the octopus. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms and two tentacles arranged in pairs. Some species of squid are known to have 10 arms.

Snail

True Wild Life | Snail | The snail is a small to medium sized mollusc that is generally split into three groups which are land snails, sea snails and freshwater snails. There are nearly 1,000 different species of snail that are spread throughout the world's continents. The snail is found on every continent on Earth with the possible exception of Antarctica, although it is thought that there are a number of marine snail species inhabiting the chilly waters that surround the South Pole. Although snails are found across a wide variety of habitats, they are most commonly spotted lunching in areas where there is plenty of vegetation.

Oyster

 

True Wild Life | Oyster | The oyster is a sessile (immobile) mollusc that is commonly found clinging onto shipwrecks, debris and harbour walls around the world. Oysters are bivalve molluscs meaning that they are closely related to other animals such as scallops, clams and mussels. Oysters are found in salt water environments all around the world but are more commonly found in more temperate regions where the shallows are richer in nutrients. Oysters are thought to be among the oldest animals on the planet although their exact evolutionary path remains unclear.

Octopus

 

True Wild Life | Octopus | The octopus group makes up around a third of the worlds cephalopod population, with around 300 species found in waters around the world. The octopus can be found in the all the worlds oceans, with the octopus ranging in size from a just few centimeters to number of feet depending on the species of octopus! The octopus often has a sharp beak, and an octopus will always have eight arms (unless any have been lost). Most species of octopus generally have arms with circular sucker pads on.

Giant Clam

True Wild Life | Giant Clam | The giant clam is the largest immobile mollusc in the world, with the occasional giant clam individual reaching nearly 6ft in length. Once the giant clam has settled somewhere the giant clam remains there for the rest of its life. Giant clams are founded anchored to the coral reefs in the warm, tropical waters of the Indian and South Pacific oceans, where giant clams spend the majority of their time feeding on the abundant variety of food that a coral reef has to offer.

Giant African Land Snail

True Wild Life | Giant African Land Snail  | The giant African land snail, is the largest species of snail found on land and generally grow to around 20 cm in length. The giant African land snail is native to the forest areas of East Africa but has been introduced into Asia, the Caribbean and a number of islands in both the Pacific and the Indian oceans. The giant African land snail is generally seen as a pest as these snails will eat almost anything vegetarian that they can find and have proven to be quite destructive when around crops and wild flowers. Giant African land snails are also known to carry parasites and are illegal to keep as pets in some countries such as the USA.

Cuttlefish

True Wild Life | Cuttlefish | Cuttlefish are found in large numbers throughout the world's ocean waters from the warm, tropical shallows to the cold depths of the deep ocean. Cuttlefish are well known for the "flashing" colours that are displayed on their bodies during fighting and mating. In the same way as squid and octopuses, the cuttlefish also has an ink sack which ejects ink in order to fool oncoming predators.

Blanket Octopus

True Wild Life | Blanket Octopus | This is one weird open ocean octopus! It looks like the Batman symbol flying through the ocean. It's common name, Blanket octopus, comes from their large web which they use to glide through the ocean. Blanket octopuses are rarely observed, but when people see them they notice. One, complete with eggs, washed up in Bermuda while I was off island on vacation. It made the local news and was the talk of the island. Another was recently (Sept 2009) spotted in St. Thomas, USVI.