Slug is a general term for a gastropod mollusc which has no shell, or just a small internal shell. The name "slug" is used for air-breathing land slugs, while the marine forms are usually known as sea slugs.
Close relatives of the slug are snails, which are basically slugs with coiled shells.
Some land-living slugs can grow to quite a large size. Europe’s ashy-grey slug is 10 inches long. But that’s nothing compared to the sheer size of some sea slugs. Found in California, the black sea hare is a massive slug that can grow up to 3 feet in length and weigh over 30 pounds.
A slug has a pair of tentacles on its face for scent, and another two positioned on the top of its head for sight.
A slug can smell a mushroom two metres away.
A lot of slugs have shells—they’re just hidden within the slugs’ bodies.
Humans share 70 per cent of their DNA with slugs.
The animal with the most teeth is a slug. They have a flexible band of thousands of microscopic teeth, called a radula.
Slugs average approximately 27,000 teeth – that's more than a shark. One species of umbrella slug, Umbraculum, can have up to 750,000 teeth.
Slugs need so many teeth because instead of chewing their food, they use their radula which sit on a tongue-like ribbon, like a circular saw — buzzing over vegetation and filing it to pulp as they go.
The slug moves by rhythmic waves of muscle contraction on the bottom of its foot. At the same time, it secretes a layer of mucus on which it travels, which helps prevent damage to the foot.
The record speed for a slug is 0.2 mph (0.32 kms per hour).
Most species of slugs feed on a broad spectrum of organic materials, including leaves from living plants, lichens and mushrooms. They play an important role in the ecosystem by eating decaying plant material and fungi.
The slime that slugs produces as it travels is a liquid crystal—its molecules are more organized than a typical liquid but not as ordered as a solid.
Slugs dislike copper; their slime reacts with it and gives them an electric shock.
When attacked, slugs can contract their body, making themselves harder and more compact and more still and round. This, combined with the slippery slime they produce, makes slugs more difficult for predators to grasp.
Some sea slugs have body parts that snap off safely and easily, leaving a would-be predator with a smaller, less desirable meal.
Some slug species hibernate underground during the winter in places with cold winters, but in other species, the adults die in the autumn.
There is giant, hot pink slug, which is only found in a single, isolated forest on an extinct volcano in Australia.
Sources Mental Floss, QI: The Third Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray
 |
| Pixiebay |
ANATOMY
Some land-living slugs can grow to quite a large size. Europe’s ashy-grey slug is 10 inches long. But that’s nothing compared to the sheer size of some sea slugs. Found in California, the black sea hare is a massive slug that can grow up to 3 feet in length and weigh over 30 pounds.
 |
| Black Sea Hare - San Pedro, CA - April, 2011 - K C Wikipedia |
A slug has a pair of tentacles on its face for scent, and another two positioned on the top of its head for sight.
A slug can smell a mushroom two metres away.
A lot of slugs have shells—they’re just hidden within the slugs’ bodies.
Humans share 70 per cent of their DNA with slugs.
The animal with the most teeth is a slug. They have a flexible band of thousands of microscopic teeth, called a radula.
Slugs average approximately 27,000 teeth – that's more than a shark. One species of umbrella slug, Umbraculum, can have up to 750,000 teeth.
Slugs need so many teeth because instead of chewing their food, they use their radula which sit on a tongue-like ribbon, like a circular saw — buzzing over vegetation and filing it to pulp as they go.
The slug moves by rhythmic waves of muscle contraction on the bottom of its foot. At the same time, it secretes a layer of mucus on which it travels, which helps prevent damage to the foot.
The record speed for a slug is 0.2 mph (0.32 kms per hour).
BEHAVIOR
Most species of slugs feed on a broad spectrum of organic materials, including leaves from living plants, lichens and mushrooms. They play an important role in the ecosystem by eating decaying plant material and fungi.
 |
| Pixiebay |
The slime that slugs produces as it travels is a liquid crystal—its molecules are more organized than a typical liquid but not as ordered as a solid.
Slugs dislike copper; their slime reacts with it and gives them an electric shock.
When attacked, slugs can contract their body, making themselves harder and more compact and more still and round. This, combined with the slippery slime they produce, makes slugs more difficult for predators to grasp.
Some sea slugs have body parts that snap off safely and easily, leaving a would-be predator with a smaller, less desirable meal.
Some slug species hibernate underground during the winter in places with cold winters, but in other species, the adults die in the autumn.
FUN SLUG FACTS
There is giant, hot pink slug, which is only found in a single, isolated forest on an extinct volcano in Australia.
Sources Mental Floss, QI: The Third Book Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray
No comments:
Post a Comment