Please forgive any mistakes in English.
I'm a Japanese person in my 30s who keeps snails and slugs at home.
The way to care for both is pretty much the same and they're both similar creatures, but slugs have a lot of unique charms that snails don't have.
To me, they're both so cute that it's hard to choose between them.
But... slugs are generally viewed less highly than snails.
- ◎Public opinion:
- Shohei Otani > Ordinary people >>> Snails >>> Slugs
This is very unfortunate.
So, in order to help raise the status of slugs, I'd like to introduce 10 cute things about slugs.
10 unknown cute things about slugs
They rest round and fat.
When we think of slugs, we imagine them as long and thin, but in fact, when they rest in the shade during the day, their bodies become round and fat, like a different creature.
Their antennae are also completely retracted, so at first glance they don't look like slugs at all.
Their round appearance is soothing.
They are secretly fine at night.
Slugs are nocturnal and prefer darkness, so they rarely come out into view during the day.
If you keep slugs as pets and only observe them during the day, they may seem like boring creatures.
However, late at night they become as lively as other creatures.
It's nice to see them all lined up together in the feeding area in the dark, eating together.
It's also nice to see them sticking to the walls or the undersides of the lids of the containers.
I observe them secretly without turning on the lights in the room so as not to disturb the lively slugs. It's like night watching and it's fun.
Eat well and poop often
Slugs are quite voracious eaters.
It's cute to watch them mindlessly eating.
And of course, they poop a lot.
Every day, poop like this is left all over the place.↓
Slugs (and snails) cannot break down pigments, so the color of the food they eat becomes the same color as their poop.
Their poop may make you wonder if they are actually digesting food properly, but they are.
Because the color remains the same, you can tell what they like to eat without having to see them directly, which makes it worth feeding them.
They love the dark...
Slugs prefer dark places, so if you place a hiding place close to their field of vision, they will go in without hesitation.
They act like a dog going into its shed.
But sometimes they'll just stick their head in the shade and be satisfied, thinking they've hidden, and sometimes they'll circle around in circles trying to hide in the shadow of their own body.
This appearance is also one of the cute things about slugs.
Pulse rhythm
According to the book, the pulse rate of a slug varies depending on the size of the individual, but on average it is about the same as a human.
0.2g slug: 90.6 beats/minute
16.6g slug: 48.8 beats/minute
Average adult human: 60-100 beats/minute
If you look closely at a slug, you'll see that even when it's not moving, its skin moves slightly due to its pulse. I find these slight movements soothing, and maybe that's because they're similar to the rhythm of a human pulse.
↓I think this slug's pulse is about the same speed as a human's.
A growing upward trend
Slugs continue to divide as long as they are alive, so they continue to grow even after they become adults.
↓My slug weighs 10g.
Highly intelligent elite
Slugs have memories, and adult slugs can apparently retain them for up to two weeks.
Not only do they have memories, they also have insight. In experiments, when slugs are deliberately given unpleasant experiences, they are apparently able to infer the cause of the unpleasant experience from the situation.
The Great grey slug (Limax maximus) also remembers where food is located, and will return there every night until the food runs out.
(In Japan, it is often said that homemade curry rice tastes better the next day than when it is freshly made.)
Land sea slug
In terms of classification, snails and slugs both belong to the phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, order Stylommatophora.
Slugs originally had shells like snails, but as they lived on land the shell became a nuisance, so it degenerated and slugs took on their modern appearance.
As a result, some slugs still have vestiges of the shell on their bodies.
Although they are treated differently by humans, there is not much difference between snails and slugs.
Furthermore, within the larger classification of gastropods, slugs are also related to sea slugs.
Even if you don't like slugs, your perspective may change if you think of them as land sea slugs.
(↑This is a Meghimatium bilineatum, a species native to Japan.)
First of all, draft beer!
Apparently slugs like beer, so beer is used as an attraction method for exterminating slugs.
However, you need to use enough beer to drown the slugs.
If the amount is too small, they'll just drink it all and go home, and you won't be able to capture them.
I don't drink much beer, but I think people who like beer will feel a close connection to slugs.
(↑An illustration of a drunk slug with a tie wrapped around his head.)
"Any creature are..."
Baby slugs have big eyes and their bodies are transparent and jiggly.
There is a saying that "babies of any creature are cute," and that includes slugs.
They are especially cute when they eat their food with all their might.
↓This is a baby Meghimatium bilineatum, a species native to Japan. Its eyes are sparkling.
Above, I have explained the cuteness of slugs, which is not well known.
[References]
足立則夫『ナメクジの言い分』
宇高寛子・著 田中寛・著『ナメクジ：おもしろ生態とかしこい防ぎ方』
高校生新聞オンライン
ナメクジは成長すると賢くなる 高校生が実験で突き止めた記憶力と洞察力｜高校生新聞オンライン｜高校生活と進路選択を応援するお役立ちメディア
