Malacology

In Germany, the term malacology (Greek: malakos=soft and logos=teaching) is used synonymously with malacozoology in German mollusk science.

This science deals with the mollusks (mollusks). The molluscs belong to the invertebrates, which are the second largest animal group after the arthropods (articulated animals, for example insects, crabs).

The molluscs are divided into different classes such as gastropods (snails), bivalves (mussels), cephalopods (squids), scaphopods (gravepods), polyplacophores (beetle snails), monoplacophores and aplacophores (worm mollusks).

The majority of mollusc species have a calcareous shell that covers the soft body of the animal. However, there are also some species, such as marine and terrestrial slugs, most cephalopods and aplacophores, that do not have an outer shell.