Mollusks (snails, clams, octopus, etc.) are the second largest phylum. It is second only to the arthropods, which includes the insects. There are more kinds of mollusks than there are vertebrates (animals with backbones).
The Mollusks collection at Carnegie Museum of Natural History contains specimens that are valuable to researchers both locally and worldwide. Our molluscan collection is one of the 15 largest in the United States and boasts more terrestrial and freshwater mollusks from western Pennsylvania and adjacent states than any other museum.
