Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Filmed on Location

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.
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6 comments:

  1. Dean LewisJune 21, 2011 at 1:07 AM

    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".

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  2. PerthDailyPhotoJune 21, 2011 at 7:44 AM

    Recycled slime......fantastic!!!!

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  3. Mike LaplanteJune 21, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Y'know, this guy (gal?) is moving at a pretty good clip...

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  4. Benjamin MadisonJune 21, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    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.

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  5. JoJoJune 21, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    *blush* That's some anatomy lesson! lol

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  6. DonnaJune 21, 2011 at 3:13 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete

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