Beautifully Designed - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA The Giant Gardenslug is not native to the U.S. and probably arrived from Europe with early settlers. The coloration and exact patterning of the body is quite variable. This species has a very unusual mating method, where the pair of slugs use a thick thread of mucus to hang suspended in the air from a tree branch or other structure. - The Nature In Us

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The trailhead in this park takes you to Monticello, a 2.4 mile walk.

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Closeup of Breathing Hole - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA
Only the right side shows the large breathing hole. Slugs patrol moist areas, using ventral muscles to glide along on a thin layer of slime that is left as a trail on vegetation. (The Giant Gardenslug leaves a trail of transparent, clear mucus.) If you ever stepped barefoot on a slug you know this slime is almost impossible to wash off, making it a useful deterrent to predators.

Beautifully Designed - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA
The Giant Gardenslug is not native to the U.S. and probably arrived from Europe with early settlers. The coloration and exact patterning of the body is quite variable. This species has a very unusual mating method, where the pair of slugs use a thick thread of mucus to hang suspended in the air from a tree branch or other structure.

Slugs Have Eyes - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA
Funny, I never thought of a slug having eyes. This photo reveals two long eye stalks and shorter mouth tentacles (under them) that bear olfactory (smell) organs. Behind and below these is the mouth, which contains hard structures that cut away plant material so the slug can ingest it. Slugs are vegetarians and in the wild they eat fungi and decaying matter.

Long Body - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA
This slug is one of the largest kinds of keeled air-breathing land slugs in the world. The adult measures 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) in length. I measured it agaiinst my glasses (lower left corner of picture) and it was only 4 inches. A larger one would've looked like a snake.

Beautifully Designed - Great Gardenslug aka Leopard Slug - Kemper Park, Charlottesville, VA
The Giant Gardenslug is not native to the U.S. and probably arrived from Europe with early settlers. The coloration and exact patterning of the body is quite variable. This species has a very unusual mating method, where the pair of slugs use a thick thread of mucus to hang suspended in the air from a tree branch or other structure.

Canon PowerShot A1200 |

More details: exif |

Original size: 3596x2357 |

Current: 800x525 |

filename: IMG_0102 |

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