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Under a log
Leopard slug
Limax maximus
A big, pale brown slug with dark leopard spots and stripes. Surprisingly, a friend in the garden.
- Size
- Up to 16cm long
- Look for it
- March to November
- Where
- Gardens, woods, sheds and cellars, out at night and after rain
My spotter's list
Glides after you, leaving a silver trail, and hunches up if you touch its feelers. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
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Leopard slug
Good to know
Six things about the leopard slug
FriendA gardener's friend
Leopard slugs mostly eat fungi, dead plants and rotting wood rather than your seedlings. They will even eat other slugs.
EyesEyes on stalks
The two long feelers have eyes on the tips. The two short ones below are for smelling and tasting.
BreathingA breathing hole
Look on the right-hand side, near the front, for a round hole that opens and closes. That's how it breathes.
SlimeUseful slime
Slime stops a slug drying out, helps it grip, and lets it glide safely over sharp edges.
ShellA hidden shell
Slugs are snails that have almost lost their shell. A leopard slug still has a small flat one under its skin.
HomeFollowing the trail
A leopard slug follows its own slime trail back to the same hiding place before dawn.
The real thing
Photos of the leopard slug
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Go out with a torch on a damp night and check walls, compost heaps and log piles. Look for the leopard spots and the stripes towards the tail.
Lend a handHow to help
Leave it be: it eats rotting plants, fungi and other slugs. Skip the pellets and it will help keep the others in check.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
Garden birds
Pond animals live on the Pond page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond life
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Seashore animals live on the Seashore page: choosing one takes you there.
Rock pool life
Woodland animals
Under a log
Meadow life
River animals live on the River page: choosing one takes you there.
River life
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