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How do caudofoveates live and feed in deep muddy sediments?
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mollusk
Mollusk shell classification chart, c. 1861.
Caudofoveates (subclass Chaetodermomorpha) are specialized mollusks that live by burrowing into muddy sediments. They inhabit these environments at depths ranging from 10 to more than 7,000 meters (33 to 23,000 feet).1
Regarding their feeding habits, caudofoveates are consumers of loose organic material, known as detritus, as well as various microorganisms found within the sediment. Unlike some other mollusks that utilize specialized appendages or ciliary suspension feeding, caudofoveates are adapted to this infaunal, sediment-dwelling lifestyle by actively processing the organic matter available in their muddy habitat.1