Radula (Lat. Radula - Scraper)

The radula is a grater-like formation in the throat of chitons, snails, squids and some other mollusks.

The radula consists of many rows of small teeth located on a cartilaginous base. It is used to scrape food from hard surfaces. When eating food, the radula moves back and forth, scraping and tearing off food particles, which then enter the digestive tract of the mollusk.

The number of teeth in a radula can reach several thousand. They are regularly washed and replaced with new ones. The shape and structure of the denticles varies among different species of mollusks, which makes it possible to use the structure of the radula for their identification and classification.