Freshwater snail

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/freshwater-snail

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Class Gastropoda (subclass Heterobranchia for most freshwater species)
2. What is the diet?Primarily herbivorous (algae, periphyton) and detritivorous; some are filter feeders or omnivores
3. What makes freshwater snails special compared to other snails?Freshwater snails live in rivers, lakes, and ponds instead of the sea. They keep their shells for protection and many have gills or lungs to breathe underwater.
4. How do freshwater snails breathe?Some use gills like fish to pull oxygen from water, while others have lungs and climb to the surface to breathe air.

Gastropod: A class of mollusks characterized by a single shell (in most species) and a muscular foot for locomotion.
Periphyton: Communities of algae, cyanobacteria, and heterotrophic microorganisms attached to submerged surfaces in aquatic environments.
Schistosomiasis: A parasitic disease caused by flatworms (schistosomes) that use freshwater snails as intermediate hosts.