Select the one animal that has all of the mollusk traits listed above.
Earthworms live in soil and have no limbs. Their bodies are soft, cylindrical, and made up of many segments. Banana slugs have a soft body with a flat underside called the foot. Slugs use their muscular foot to move. Banana slugs also have small teeth on their tongue! These file-like teeth help banana slugs eat leaves and dead plants.
Mollusks are a group of animals with similar traits. The following traits can be used to identify mollusks:
They have a soft body.
They have a muscular foot or tentacles. Observe the animals and read the descriptions.
Scientists sort animals with similar traits into groups. This is called classification. Classification helps scientists learn about how animals live.
How do scientists classify animals? First, they make observations about an animal. Scientists observe the animal's traits, including its body parts and behavior. Then, scientists compare the animal's traits to other animals' traits. Scientists classify animals with similar traits into a group.
To decide if an animal is part of a group, look at the traits of the group.
Mollusks have the following traits:
They have a soft body.
They have a muscular foot or tentacles.
Compare each animal's traits to the group's traits. Select the animal with traits similar to the group's traits.
A banana slug has the following traits:
It has a soft body.
It has a muscular foot.
A banana slug has the traits of a mollusk. A banana slug is a mollusk.
An earthworm has the following traits:
It has a soft, cylindrical body.
It has no limbs.
It is made up of segments.
An earthworm does not have all of the traits of a mollusk. An earthworm is a segmented worm.