Leopard Slug: Not an Oxymoron

Leopard Slug: Not an Oxymoron was originally published in the BFEC Newsletter, Vol. 11/No. 2, Spring 2007. 

Thanks to the keen eyesight and catlike reflexes of BFEC member Mike Daily,
a very special creature avoided a midnight trampling and became the newest resident in our educational animal wing: Limax maximus. Known as the great gray garden slug, tiger slug or spotted leopard slug, it’s a fascinating addition to our menagerie.

Known for its spotted mantle, striped foot and relatively staggering proportions (up to six inches in length) the leopard slug is the largest terrestrial mollusk found east of the Mississippi. It is omnivorous, feeding on everything from fungi and decomposing plants to carrion. A predator as well, the leopard slug
is relatively fast, relatively agile and relatively deadly to other slugs that might otherwise end up as garden pests.

In addition to its incredible appearance, the leopard slug also boasts one of the most bizarre and beautifully complex mating rituals in the animal kingdom. Search YouTube for “leopard slug mating” to see some truly amazing footage first captured for Sir David Attenborough’s 2005 Life in the Undergrowth documentary.

Originally ranging from Europe to Asia Minor and Algeria, the leopard slug has become quite cosmopolitan, making its home from Europe and Asia to North and South America, Australia and the Brown Family Environmental Center. Drop by and say hello!