Giant Slugs and Overripe Fruit!

Sit down children and listen up because I'm about to tell you about one of the weirdest animals of all! There are many different species of slugs in the world but some of the most fascinating definitely come from the  Ariolimax genus. The common name for these critters? The Banana Slug. These large slugs get their name from their coloration, which is typically yellow (sometimes BRIGHT yellow!). Some, like the one pictured, are darker in coloration with black spots. This gives them the appearance of an overripe banana.

Native to the western U.S. and Canada, these slimy invertebrates supposedly ooze green liquid when crushed (I have not seen this first hand, but my mother says that she accidentally stepped on one years ago). Also, due to the slime on their skin, if touched the area of skin on your body that made contact will go numb for a while. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that these things can get up to 7 inches long! That is a very large slug but it doesn't compare to a species native to Europe that can grow up to a foot long...but we can talk about that some other time.