Gastropods have soft bodies and usually move using a strong, flat “foot.” Many have a single, spiral-shaped shell, while others—like slugs—have no shell at all. They also have a head with simple eyes and tentacles that help them sense their surroundings.

A unique feature of gastropods is a process called torsion, where their bodies twist as they grow, changing the position of their internal organs.

There are more than 60,000 species of gastropods, organized into hundreds of families, and scientists are still discovering new ones!

Gastropods live almost everywhere on Earth. They can be found in oceans, on land, and in freshwater environments such as rivers and lakes.