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Random fun facts about slugs8/6/2023 ![]() DistributionĪriolimax columbianus is native to the forest floors along North America's Pacific coastal coniferous rainforest belt (including douglas-fir forests and redwood forests) which stretches from Southeastern Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. The adults provide no further care for their eggs beyond finding a suitable hiding spot, and the eggs are abandoned as soon as the clutch is laid. ![]() Slugs mate and lay eggs throughout the year. They produce up to 75 translucent eggs, which are laid in a log or on leaves. Slugs are simultaneous hermaphrodites, and reproduce by exchanging sperm with their mate. The slime also contains pheromones to attract other slugs for mating. The placement of the pneumostome on the mantle helps to distinguish the species of Ariolimax. Banana slugs have a single lung which opens externally via a pneumostome. The patterning may be so extensive as to make the animal look almost solid black. This individual Ariolimax columbianus has numerous black spots. Due to their susceptibility to desiccation, they are more commonly active at night, but also appear during cool, moist days. They remain inactive in this state until the environment becomes moist again. To do so, they secrete a protective layer of mucus and insulate themselves with a layer of soil and leaves. Dehydration is a major problem for the mollusk to combat this, banana slugs excrete a thick coating of mucus around their bodies and can also aestivate. The pneumostome lung cavity is heavily vascularized to allow gas exchange. If a predator bites off a tentacle, the slug can grow a new one.īanana slugs have a single lung (on the right side) which opens externally via a pneumostome. The tentacles can retract and extend themselves to avoid damage. ![]() The second, lower pair are used to detect chemicals. The larger, upper pair, termed "eyestalks," are used to detect light or movement. Slugs use two pairs of tentacles to sense their environment. Individuals can move at 6 1⁄ 2 inches (17 cm) per minute. (The largest slug species is Limax cinereoniger of Europe, which can reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.) Banana slugs have an average lifespan of 1–7 years.īanana slugs (like other gastropods and many other mollusks) have a radula, a ribbon-like anatomical structure covered in rows of microscopic teeth the radula is used for feeding. The Pacific banana slug is the second-largest species of terrestrial slug in the world, growing up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long, and weights of 115 grams (4.1 ounces). ![]()
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