Taxonomy Tales is a new series covering major categories of life on earth--from mollusks to cetaceans to marsupials, we will learn them all! This class discusses the phylum Mollusca, which includes invertebrates from scallops to snails to squids. While we cannot learn about all 85,000 species of mollusks, this class is an excellent foundation of malacology (the study of mollusks).

We will divide this phylum into three main groups:
1) Bivalves (animals with two shells like clams)
2) Gastropods (snails and slugs)
3) Cephalopods (octopus, squid, and more)

We will also discuss some specific species like the giant African land snail, cuttlefish (not a fish), nautilus, nudibranchs, bubble-rafting snails, mimic octopus, bigfin reef squid, and more (subject to change as I edit my classes frequently).

For each group, we will compare and contrast the characteristics and lives of the animals it includes. Along the way, students will learn new vocabulary and ecological concepts that they can apply to other topics in zoology. 

This class is lecture-style with slides and photos, but highly interactive. Students are given the opportunity to ask and answer questions, ponder scientific ideas, and discuss with their classmates. Students may participate via video, audio, the chat room, or may just sit back and enjoy! 

So join us and become a marvelous malacologist!

*Please note that mollusks are covered briefly in one week of my Zoology Flex course. This class goes into significantly more detail but a small amount of information will be repeated.