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How
fast can a slug go? And other interesting facts...
Slugs
crawl at a breath-taking 0.006 mph.
Although
in the same class as snails (Gastropoda), slugs lack the snail's protective
shell; slugs are instead covered by protective mucous.
Native
Americans used ground-up slugs and their mucous as healing salve and for
relief of mosquito bites and nettle stings.
Slugs
breath with a lung; they bring in air through a hole in their right side
called a "pneumostome."
The
slugs common in this area are actually invaders accidentally introduced from
Europe (Limax is the genus of one common type).
Slugs
use their mucous trails to help them navigate.
Slugs
are hermaphrodites (both male and female).
They
have tongues with 27,000 rasping teeth.
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Panthers
vs. Slugs?
In
1986, Students at the University of California at Santa Cruz tired of their
"mainstream" mascot, the sea lion, and demanded that the banana slug (Ariolimax
dolichophallus) be named mascot. Despite discouraging pressure from
the Chancellor of the University, they raised money for a voting referendum, and
the mighty banana slug beat the sea lion by a 15 to 1 ratio. The
Chancellor buckled under the pressure from the students and the national media,
and named the Banana Slug the
official mascot of UC-Santa Cruz on May 12, 1986.
Banana
Slug Facts:
Native
to the cool, moist redwood forests of northwestern North America.
Can
reach a length of 10 inches.
named
nation's top mascot/nickname by Sports Illustrated and National Directory of
College Athletics in 1992.
"Slug
Wear," clothes depicting banana slug logos, made their big screen debut
in Pulp Fiction (worn by John Travolta) and in 1994 the San Francisco
Chronicle declared the shirts "well on [their] way to becoming a
fashion sensation."
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How
about a pet slug?
No
room for a dog? Allergic to cats? How about a slug? Slugs are
simple to feed, easy to keep happy and won't wake you up to have you take them
outside. Just follow the steps below...
1)
Capture slugs be either trapping them at bait station (cat or dog food works
well) or searching under rocks and leaves.
2)
Place your newly captured friends in a small aquarium or jar with some moist
dirt on the bottom. Make sure their home has a lit or they may crawl out!
3)
Feed fresh vegetables and other plant material as needed - and clean the tank
once or twice a week (it gets a little yucky).
4)
If you no longer want to take care of your slugs, find a friend who does or
release them back where you found them.
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Drunk
slugs?
Slugs
can be serious garden and crop pests. If you have a problem, you have a
few options:
Use
slug pesticides. These are highly toxic chemicals that may harm pets
and people. Plus, if it's wet out, they may not be effective.
Bottomline - try environmentally-friendly alternatives first!
Capture
them by hand. Go out during the day and capture them in their hiding
places (use tweezers, a stick or your fingers). Go out at night with a
flashlight and catch them in the act. Either way, place them in a cup of
alcohol and they'll never bother you again.
Beer
traps. Yes, one of the most effective ways to capture slugs is by
providing them with frosty beer. slugs are attracted to the fermenting beverage
(yeasty beers work best). Sink pie tins, jars or cans level with the
ground in areas that slugs hang out. Fill these traps 1/2 to 2/3 full of
beer (if you really want to wow them, add some molasses). Come back
periodically to clean out the dead drunks and refresh the beer.
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