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One subspecies, the Pacific banana slug, can grow up to 9 inches long, making it the second-largest slug in the world.
Banana slugs are the largest land slug in North America and second largest in world. They can reach 10 inches and 4 ounces to quarter-pounders, but are more typically about 6 to 8 in. long. (One European slug reaches 12 in.)
Banana slugs may be found in large concentrations, five slugs per square meter are not uncommon.
There are two major types of shotgun slugs: rifled and sabot. Rifled slugs are designed for shotguns with smoothbore barrels. Sabot slugs are designed for shotguns with rifled barrels, like the Benelli M2 Field Rifled Slug Shotgun. – i.e. barrels with grooves and lands, just like what modern rifles and handguns have.
The world's largest species of terrestrial slug is the ash-black slug Limax cinereoniger. Found in ancient woodlands throughout all but the most northerly regions of Europe, it can grow to a length of up to 30 cm, and eats fungi.
Some slugs are predators and eat other slugs and snails, or earthworms.
NEONATES: A newly-hatched slug is called a neonate, and their typical food of choice is algae and fungus. However, they can feed on vegetative parts of plants. Young neonates weigh between 1-10 mg. They don't travel far from home.
A slug has two retractable pairs of tentacles. The upper pair of tentacles are called the optical tentacles and are the eyes of a slug. The optical tentacles have light sensitive eyespots on the end and can be re-grown if lost. These are also used for smell.
A word of caution to those with 'kiss a banana slug' on their bucket list. Even though it's rumored to bring good fortune, even a small peck can transfer harmful bacteria to the slug's organs. (Plus, it tastes horrible.)
Banana slugs are one of the largest slugs in the world! They can grow up to 26 centimetres long. Banana slugs can also have 27,000 teeth on a long tooth-covered “tongue”. They come in a range of colours, from yellow to brown to black and many are mottled with black spots.
All snails and slugs are edible and offer the advantage of being very easy to catch. But all wild snails and slugs can carry dangerous parasites, so they must be cooked thoroughly – especially the giant African snail, recently found in Texas and probably coming to an environs near you.
Coming in at up to 7cm in length, the red-triangle slug (Triboniphorus graeffei) is Australia's largest native land slug. The species is common in south east Queensland, particularly after rain.
The Red Triangle Slug is Australia's largest native land slug. The distinctive red triangle on its back contains the breathing pore.
(The largest slug species is Limax cinereoniger of Europe, which can reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in length.)
Scientists have discovered the 480-million-year-old remains of a spiny little slug with tiny teeth and a helmet. It may be the earliest stage in the evolution of mollusks, a diverse group of invertebrates that includes squids, octopuses, snails, and clams.
It's a type of sea slug called the nudibranch (NEW-dih-bronk), a slime-oozing creature with a boneless body. Many of them also sport brilliant colors and eye-catching patterns on their skin. In fact this sticky slug is often considered one of the most beautiful animals in the world.
A slug of 70 to 100 mm in length it is yellow and speckled with brown spots. It has two grooves along the length of the body that meet at the small, vestigial shell at the tail-end. foot fringe and sole usually orange.
Though slug usage is illegal in the United States and elsewhere, prosecution for slug usage is rare due to the low value of the theft and the difficulty in identifying the offender.
Snails and slugs eat with a jaw and a flexible band of thousands of microscopic teeth, called a radula. The radula scrapes up, or rasps, food particles and the jaw cuts off larger pieces of food, like a leaf, to be rasped by the radula.
Slugs are all hermaphrodites and can fertilize themselves, but they can mate, too. By releasing pheromones into their slime, slugs indicate a readiness to mate—and some make quite a spectacle of it.
They can have the best of both worlds by choosing to eat and digest most of the sperm, while retaining just enough to fertilise their eggs.
A boom in the slug population is always a sign that the natural order of things is out of kilter. By killing snails, all you do is fight the symptoms; you leave untouched the underlying causes of the problem. The natural equilibrium will be even more disturbed because killing slugs also harms their natural enemies.
Create a prickly barrier
Slugs are soft-bodied molluscs so sharp, prickly barriers are a great way to deter them from precious plants. Use crushed egg shells, pine needles or thorny cuttings to create barriers and recycle unwanted leftovers and foliage. Another great material to use is sharp sand.