Slug
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Slug is an unappealing word, whether as a noun or a verb. It has associations of heaviness and slowness.
Garden slugs are not very attractive. As much as I tell myself they’re just snails without external shells, I cannot persuade myself of their intrinsic value. They must have some worth, surely, and yes! they are detritivores. Who wouldn’t want to claim that name for themselves? They are the refuse collectors of the natural world, as well as tasty morsels for some animals.
They generally come in quite muted shades, though yellow and bright orange are not uncommon. However, compared to sea slugs, they are very modestly dressed. They are not closely related to sea slugs, though both are molluscs.
There are more than three thousand known species of sea slugs or nudibranchs, many of them brightly coloured. Some of them take the stinging cells from prey such as jellyfish, reusing them for their own protection. Others take in the poisons from sea anemones and sponges, which are then exuded as defensive slime. They are not a threat to humans but could cause skin irritation if handled.
Some are so small as to be almost unnoticeable, only able to be studied under magnification, while the largest can measure about fifty centimetres. They can be found in all the oceans of the world, in shallow waters and the deeps.
Nudibranchs are common in UK rockpools, easily noticeable at low tide. They range in size from less than one or two centimetres (Diaphorodoris alba, which can be found in poor light) to twelve centimetres, (Doris pseudoargus, Sea lemon)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
A rainbow sea slug (Babakina anadoni) was discovered recently in a rockpool in Devon. They are usually found in the warm Mediterranean waters around Portugal, Spain, and France. At less than two centimetres, this tiny animal was a happy find for a volunteer with the Rock Pool Project.
Ha! The rainbow slug reminds me of one of my favourite creatures: the mantis shrimp. If you're not familiar, check it out.
ReplyDeleteWow! Very pretty, but not to be messed with.
DeleteI very rarely see a slug here. Maybe it's too dry.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't seen many this year, for the same reason.
DeleteA slug 50cm long! No, no. Nightmare inducing.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an enticing thought, is it?
DeleteThe rainbow sea slug is pretty and the colour of that first slug is nice too. Slugs here are brownish grey and my kids used to call them homeless snails. I noticed snail trails on my path this morning so in spite of the cold weather it must be spring for them at least.
ReplyDelete'Homeless snails' - that's so sweet.
DeleteI got fed sea slug (sea cucumber) in a meal in Korea once. Hmmm - pretended it was sluces of mushroom and soldiered on.
ReplyDeleteWell done. I'm not sure I would have managed.
DeleteI love the worda detritivore! We were given sea slug at a Chinese New Year banquet in Singapore we went to back in the 1970s. I remember they were like greasy pieces of pencil eraser in appearance and impossible to hold with chop sticks.
ReplyDeleteYour description doesn't make them sound very appetising. 😟
DeleteAfter reading this blogpost, I feel like a slug of whisky or better still whiskey (Irish).
ReplyDeleteThat would be more acceptable . . .
DeleteSlugs may be the reason I don't like gardening. I've never liked it since while weeding I grabbed a hold of one . That rainbow slug is rather pretty with those colors
ReplyDeleteI wear gardening gloves . . . safer, that way.
DeleteSlugs have a rather horrible slimy feel to them I prefer snails in shells not to eat but to place near an 'anvil' stone for the thrushes to eat.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how snails are more acceptable than slugs, though I don't suppose the birds mind, one way or the other.
DeleteSince I have deer eat the plants from the top down, I also have this lugs that like to eat the plants from the bottom up. I'm not very much of a fan. Especially like this spring when they climbed on top of the lilies and ate all the flower buds.
ReplyDeleteYour plants don't stand much of a chance, really, do they?
DeleteI have to remind myself that every creature belongs as much as I do. I wonder if slugs think humans are creepy, that nasty dry skin when you touch them..
ReplyDeleteSo long as they can get a good purchase, I don't think they much care . . .
DeleteSlugs are ugly, though I will say that these two have lovely color which slightly detracts from their ugliness?
ReplyDeleteEverything has its own beauty, or so I've been told . . .
DeleteI have only seen plain ones that don’t appeal to me at all.
ReplyDeleteI'd quite like pretty slugs.
DeleteI think if garden slugs looked like sea slugs we would find them far less objectionable - even if standing on one in bare feet wouldn't be any less horrid.
ReplyDeleteYuk! Another reason not to go barefoot in the garden.
DeleteYuk, I loathe slugs but of course feel guilty about it......
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
All God's creatures, and all that . . .
DeleteOh wow....the colors of the slugs is quiet stunning. so very pretty.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful.
DeleteEvery critter and creature has a purpose whether I personally like them or not. I am not fond of them in my garden or on my patio. But we do have many lizards and frogs in the yard and the last 2 years we hardly have them anywhere. Snails/slugs served their purpose as food and I didn’t have to use any pesticide to get rid of them. I’m thankful for my lizards and the occasional snake that comes hunting in my yard. But they’ll be back in the spring!
ReplyDeleteEvery living thing has its place in the world, though it's often hard to see how. I can't see much hope for cockroaches, but there must be some.
DeleteWhile I‘m not a fan of slugs, I do recognise their right to live just like every creature on this planet. But did they really have to eat up all the vegetables my sister planted and so carefully nursed all spring on her allotment?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I had never heard of the -ber months before, either. But now that you have mentioned the term on your previous post, I guess it will pop up everywhere!
It is soul-destroying when carefully tended plants are struck down by garden/allotment citizens, but it's part of the cycle of life. Companion planting is supposed to help, but I don't know how successful chives, garlic, rosemary and other strongly aromatic plants are, and,of course, they take up space . . .
DeleteIf you hear me screaming in the garden then it's because I saw a naked snail ! Shameless ! Once we had a lot in our garden. I find the ones with a house less disgusting. It's quite a long time I haven't seen one, in our park there are squirrels and magpies and crows. Maybe the crows eat them.
ReplyDeleteThe birds will certainly enjoy a feast of slugs.
DeleteI always encounter slugs and sometimes snails when I'm gardening. I don't really mind them. They don't do any significant damage and may actually be of some benefit. None of them are as colorful as your examples. They tend to be more earth-colored.
ReplyDeleteI only really see slugs and snails after rain, but we haven't had much of that recently.
Deletewow, the seaslug changes the meaning of the word slug . wow again. all of our slugs are white and slimly and a few are brown and slimy. I know bears love to eat them. now I wonder if you have bears there
ReplyDeleteNo bears in UK since the 11th century and no-one has yet suggested reintroducing them. 🤣😂
DeleteWhen we first began gardening we used slug bait to kill snails and slugs, but the sight of dying slugs was so depressing to me that we stopped. Now we just live with them! We just avoid plants that will be especially tasty to a slug. (Or put them in elevated pots.) They're kind of fascinating creatures, if you can get past the slime factor.
ReplyDeleteMost things are fascinating once you've passed the revulsion stage. 😟
DeleteTrying to deter slugs from eating our garden plants is an ongoing battle we are not likely to win, so we've kind of given up. While snails might look reasonably attractive, slugs absolutely don't, particularly those dusky brown ones. Ugh! That rainbow sea slug is something else, though! xxx
ReplyDeleteApparently, strongly-scented plants like mint, chives, rosemary are a deterrent, but I don't know how successful they are.
DeleteI can just imagine the excitement of the volunteer when he found the rainbow slug out of its usual orbit. As slugs go, that's a very pretty one. Thanks for this interesting article on them.
ReplyDeleteSea slug hunting is not something I'd ever heard of.
DeleteInteresting
ReplyDeleteIt is.
DeleteYes, I agree Slug is a very unappealing word.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that rainbow sea slug looks very pretty.
All the best Jan
What a pity the land slugs are not prettier.
DeleteI like the term Detrivore! Not so fond of slugs- we get lots here who like to eat my plants, they and the snails. My mum has a chronic phobia of Slugs- not great as she is a gardener! The leopard ones are quite useful apparently!
ReplyDeleteSome slugs eat garden debris rather than plants, but it's not always possible to identify them when you're shuddering . . .
DeleteSlack jawed amazement. A 50 cm slug???:AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!
ReplyDeleteI know - it sounds horrendous and probably looks worse.
ReplyDeleteThat bright orange is a very pretty colour. Once upon a time I was ruthless with slugs, over the years they have eaten staggering amounts of hostas. But then one day I decided that they have a place in the garden and are a delicious morsal for insects and birds, so I stopped killing them. I don't like them but I leave them alone and have stopped planting hostas!!
ReplyDeleteI stopped trying to grow hostas, too, for much the same reason.
ReplyDelete