10/01/2026
This past Tuesday, Dr. Oberski's Invertebrate Zoology class learned about mollusks (Phylum Mollusca) hands-on in lab. This group of animals is the second most diverse after the arthropods (AKA insects & kin)—it contains more species than mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles combined. Highlights included dissections of squid (cephalopods) and freshwater clams (bivalves), and one group even used a squid ink sac to "tattoo" their specimen! Students also examined and sketched a diversity of beautiful preserved mollusks, like the shells of giant marine snails (gastropods) and a chambered Nautilus.
