Class Cephalopoda:
Class Cephalopoda have following characteristics:
Head and Foot Structure:
They possess a distinct head with a complex brain and sensory organs. Their foot is modified into a series of muscular arms or tentacles which are surrounding the mouth.
Tentacles and Arms:
Two elongated tentacles as well as highly mobile arms are found in cephalopods. Arms are usually shorter and eight to ten in number.
Mouth:
They have a beak-like mouth structure made of hard chitinous material. The beak is used to bite and tear prey.
Mantle:
The mantle is a specialized muscular organ that surrounds the visceral mass of cephalopods. It plays an important role in jet propulsion movement that allows these animals to move quickly through the water currents.
Shell
They possess an internal or external shell, with the exception of octopus that lacks a shell entirely.
Camouflage
Cephalopods are well-known for their amazing ability to change their color patterns and texture for camouflage purposes.
Eyes:
They have complex eyes that allow them to perceive a wide range of color patterns.
Intelligent marine animals:
Cephalopods exhibit problem solving skills, learning abilities, and have demonstrated complex behaviors e.g. Octopuses which are known for their problem solving capabilities.
Predatory habits:
They are mainly carnivorous in nature, by feeding on fish and other mollusks.
Reproduction:
These invertebrates can exhibit various matting strategies such as internal fertilization, external fertilization or other mating types of behaviors.
Rapid growth rate:
They have a relatively fast growth rate and short lifespans compared to other mollusks.
Examples of class Cephalopoda:
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| Loligo spp. | Squid |
| Sepia officinalis | Common Cuttlefish |
| Octopus vulgaris | Common Octopus |
| Nautilus pompilius | Chambered Nautilus |
| Architeuthis dux | Giant Squid |
| Argonauta spp. | Paper Nautilus |
| Histioteuthis spp. | Cockatoo Squid |
| Euprymna scolopes | Hawaiian Bobtail Squid |
| Sepioteuthis lessoniana | Bigfin Reef Squid |
| Rossia spp. | Pygmy Squid |
| Sepiidae spp. | Cuttlefish |
| Ommastrephidae spp. | Flying Squid |
| Dosidicus gigas | Humboldt Squid |
| Todarodes pacificus | Japanese Flying Squid |
| Thaumoctopus mimicus | Mimic Octopus |
List of Mollusca classes with examples
Phylum Mollusca is classified into seven major classes namely:
- Class Gastropoda
- Class Bivalvia
- Class Cephalopoda (intelligent marine animals)
- Class Polyplacophora (chitons)
- Class Scaphopoda (tusk shells)
- Class Monoplacophora
- Class Aplacophora (worm-like mollusks)