Fish and Marine Life Illustrations
Orb Snail (Gastropoda), colored pencil and watercolor
About the illustration:
Commissioned by: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
About orb snails:
Orb snails are lunged snails, as opposed to gilled snails. They eat rotting plants and algae. Snails have their eyes and mouth on their foot. The shell is made of calcium carbonate. They are macroinvertebrates, which essentially means they are small invertebrates but not so small that a microscope is needed in order to see them.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
More about orb snails:
Environmental Education for Kids: Orb, Gilled, and Pouch Snails
Gina's orb snail, done in colored pencil and watercolor for the Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota, shows a coiled shell with brown and gold bands winding to a small central spiral. Orb snails are lunged rather than gilled snails and feed on rotting plants and algae. The opening sits at upper left, with a broad highlight on the outer whorl.