pteropod

Definitions

Any of free-swimming pelagic sea snails and sea slugs, of the suborder Thecosomata, that have winglike lobes on the feet; a sea butterfly.

Examples

“Pteropods, also known as sea butterflies, are marine gastropods adapted to pelagic life.[…]When pteropods constitute a high percentage of the ooze the deposit⟳ is called pteropod ooze.”

“For fans of the undersea sci-fi classic The Abyss, a pteropod seems a likely inspiration for the ethereal alien creatures that were the saviors at the film's end⟳. The muscular foot that most snails use⟳ for locomotion has been modified in the pteropods into delicate fins for swimming.”

“Pteropods, or sea butterflies, have⟳ a foot that is modified to form⟳ a pair of winglike structures that animals use⟳ to propel themselves through the water column.”

CEFR level