All mollusks build their own shells, whether they live in water or on land. Creatures like snails, clams, oysters and mussels use an organ called a mantle to secrete layers of calcium carbonate, which ...

Snails have shells the moment they're born, but it's kind of hard to tell. In fact, it's hard to even see a baby snail. Some are nearly microscopic, such as Angustopila psammion, whose adult-sized ...

The snail’s shell diameter averages about 22 to 30 millimeters (.87 to 1.18 inches). Each snail’s shell has a unique combination of stripes and colors, so no two are exactly alike. These snails eat ...

Hermit crabs are more than happy to let snails build them a perfect home. Hermit crabs are obsessed with snail shells. These crafty little crabs, found in California's rocky intertidal zone, are more ...

The next time you're fidgeting in an uncomfortable seat on a crowded train or airplane and wishing for a better way to travel, be grateful that you aren't a tardigrade. For these near-microscopic ...

Citizens of Argentina’s capital city, Buenos Aires, were recently treated to an alien sight along its beach shore: a blanket of thousands of pearly orbs strewn about the sand. The orbs, it turns out, ...