Slugs!
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| Photo by Greg Bodi (creative commons) |
As I hike here in the Pacific Northwest I love the creatures I come across. Sometimes my observations are no more than a fleeting glimpse of a bird, but if I'm quiet and patient certain creatures come out and I can watch their behavior. Sitting quietly in the woods and observing has been a great way to learn about shrews, insects, spiders and slugs. Then again slugs just require patience, slug watching is a meditative art.
First off slugs are interesting creatures, they are gastropods which translates to -stomach foot. And they are in the phylum Mollusca, yup, the same one as oysters and octopi!
A particularly fascinating slug is Ariolimax columbianus, one of the species that shares the common name banana slug. The banana slug is the largest slug in the Pacific Northwest. I usually find them in shaded forest areas. Outside of the forest, in places such as your garden, you tend to get other species.
Banana slug (creative commons photo by David A. Hofmann)
Some banana slugs observations-
- I have never seen one in a garden.
- They sometimes go out on moss and other vertical surfaces that they can't grip very well- plop! Down they fall.
- If they are traveling over algae covered substrate they sometimes stop and eat the slime/algae mixture that collects at their tail.
- Their (and other) slug slime comes off your hands best by rubbing your hands in dry dirt.
- The myth that if you lick a banana slug your tongue will go numb is not true. I tested it and found that your tongue only gets slimy. I may be a sucker for curiosity sake.
Something that I have not observed but wondered about is the idea that when banana slugs mate they sometimes bite the other slug's penis off. I did some research, its true! Harold Heath's Stanford lab discovered the behavior in the early 1900s (Land Mollsca of North America by Henry August Pilsbry)Why do they do it? Well, I encourage you to read more about the discussion on the "Last Word About Nothing Banana Slug Sex Post.
To wrap it up, here is the natural history film about slugs I made back in 2007. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
This film is 12 minutes long and posted in two parts. It was made for a 5th grade audience, but anyone with an interest in natural history would like it.
-Lara
