gastropod

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gastropod Member of the Gastropoda class of molluscs, which includes the snail, slug, whelk, limpet, abalone and sea slug. Many possess a single spiral shell produced by chemical precipitation from the mantle. Many types of gastropod live immersed in seawater, breathing through gills. Some freshwater snails, however, breathe through lungs and surface periodically for air. Sea slugs are entirely without shells.

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