Slugs

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There are more than thirty species of slug in the UK, and the warm weather we get this month, coupled with the April showers, create a paradise for them.  This is the time when they start to multiply.

Slug sex is a messy business.  It may look like a jousting tournament, but these two slugs are about to mate.  The two slugs circle each other for some time, eyeing each other up, and all the while producing a big puddle of slime.  Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.  When mating, both slugs inject each other with sperm and both slugs are impregnated.

A few days later, both slugs lay their eggs in the ground where they can remain moist.  If you turn over stones and logs you can sometimes find their pearly looking eggs which are about 2 to 3mm across.  The tiny sluglings hatch out after about four weeks.

More info at: UK Safari Slugs Fact File