A feeding organ unique to mollusks, consisting of a ribbon-like structure covered with rows of tiny teeth used for scraping food from surfaces. Different mollusk species have radulae adapted for their specific diets.
From Latin 'radula' meaning scraper, from 'radere' meaning to scrape or shave. The name perfectly describes the function of this organ as a biological scraping tool, coined when early anatomists discovered this unique feeding structure.
A radula is like a biological chainsaw made of the hardest material in the animal kingdom - some contain magnetite, the same mineral found in magnets! Cone snails have turned their radula teeth into harpoon-like darts that inject deadly venom.
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