# What mollusk has the biggest radula? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950 "2009-02-15T14:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/1 "2009-02-15T14:23:51Z")
I skimmed the wikipedia article but didn’t see anything. Do radulae get fossilized? If so, were there any megamollusks exhibiting large radulae (from back before color TV) that we’ve dug out of rocks? I’m assuming it’ll be on some squid species. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/2 "2009-02-16T12:50:26Z")
This isn’t keeping anyone else awake at night? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/3 "2009-02-16T17:03:46Z")
Is this some sort of bust? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/4 "2009-02-16T17:46:21Z")
bust = joke? No. bust = crappy OP that no one responds to? Looks like it. I was thinking about snails. Snails have radulae. Then I wondered how big they could get. Apparently no one else wonders about these things ☹ ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/5 "2009-02-16T17:52:17Z")
The Ormer possibly. A delicacy in the Channel Islands ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/6 "2009-02-16T17:56:40Z")
Mmm… _gastropods_ have radulae. That includes snails, slugs, conchs, tritons, and a wide assortment of single-shelled marine life. I’m not sure if the other classes of molluscs have radulae. I’m almost certain that cephalopods don’t, and nearly as certain that pelecypods don’t. Scaphopods? Monoplacophores? Polyplacophores? Dunno. Although I had this vision of snails in the locker room, their shells hung up on hooks, sneaking peeks with their eyes on stalks as to who has the biggest radula… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/7 "2009-02-16T18:49:06Z")
In general I suspect some squid or octopus somewhere is the champ. However my favorite is the [Lewis’ Moon Snail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polinices_lewisii). Given that it is a predator that [bores holes](http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6752/moonsnailholezd2.jpg) in its victims and that it the [largest species](http://lh4.ggpht.com/__c2yN0mZImw/RowpxkhtOkI/AAAAAAAAAz4/uSB3Ar1atho/IMG_4257.jpg) of such, it might at least be in the running among the shelled gastropods. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/8 "2009-02-16T18:52:18Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > I’m not sure if the other classes of molluscs have radulae. All but the bivalves, apparently ( yeah, I had to look it up - it’s been about a billion years since I took Marine Invertebrate Zoology 🙂 ). ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/9 "2009-02-16T19:02:14Z")
A **Giraffe** ’s tongue is eightteen inches long and prehensile…oh, you meant mollusks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/10 "2009-02-16T19:34:49Z")
> [@dmatsch](#): > > Is this some sort of bust? Yes, it’s very impressive, but we’re talking about snail tongues now. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/11 "2009-02-17T04:01:50Z")
I have no idea but I’ll use this thread as an excuse to post a picture of the [geoduck](http://www.dec.state.ak.us/EH/images/lab/geoduck.jpeg). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/12 "2009-02-17T04:05:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > However my favorite is the [Lewis’ Moon Snail](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polinices_lewisii). I picked one of those up while kayaking in shallow water. I wondered how it would taste. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/13 "2009-02-17T13:06:18Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I have no idea but I’ll use this thread as an excuse to post a picture of the [geoduck](http://www.dec.state.ak.us/EH/images/lab/geoduck.jpeg). :eek: How does it fit all that back in it’s pa…er…shell? Or does it just always let it hang out in the current? But no radula on that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/14 "2009-02-17T18:04:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I picked one of those up while kayaking in shallow water. I wondered how it would taste. They’re edible, but I have no idea how they taste and a quick tour through google hasn’t enlightened me further. Do try it next time you acquire one ( legally, of course ) and let us know :). ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mollusk-has-the-biggest-radula/485950/15 "2009-02-17T20:38:16Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I have no idea but I’ll use this thread as an excuse to post a picture of the [geoduck](http://www.dec.state.ak.us/EH/images/lab/geoduck.jpeg). Look ashamed.