I am pleased to introduce you to
Arion rufus, commonly known as the Giant (or European) Red Slug. Though it is now common here it is an introduced species not native to this area. In the video below you may notice it appears to be dragging something from its tail. This not an accident. This is the site of its
caudal mucous pit, a cunning anatomical structure that re-absorbs the slime that the slug secretes to make its passage smoother.
6 comments:
A remarkable 'life's journey' drama, propelling through space at Warp Factor .00000000004.
"The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running".
Recycled slime......fantastic!!!!
Y'know, this guy (gal?) is moving at a pretty good clip...
Mike - yes, the speed at which slugs move was what inspired me to take a video. As for "guy (gal?)" I hesitated to mention that another clever anatomical feature of slugs is that they are hermaphroditic. They will mate with other slugs in interesting ways but in a pinch can manage to handle the entire business solo. More on that later though I'm trying to keep this blog family friendly.
*blush* That's some anatomy lesson! lol
Love the music! For more lessons on the mating habits of tiny creatures look up a site called "greenporn" by Isabella Rossellini (sounds worse than it is). It's very funny.
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