Thursday Invertebrate Blogging: Johnny Damon Edition
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Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for finally breaking the dreaded Curse of the Bambino! In honor of this historic event, I thought it fitting to feature the invertebrate that is critical to baseball – The SLUG!
(pause for laughter to subside)
Our “backyard” (all 100 square feet of it) has been plagued with these pesky mollusks all summer. The specimens in the photo are only an inch or so long, but we had some 5” whoppers descending on a BBQ earlier this summer with Rachel and Steve-O. It was just before midnight when we observed at least six of these monsters gliding toward our prize hostas with mayhem in mind (that is, assuming slugs have minds).
BTW, what is the collective noun for slugs? A slime of slugs? A salting of slugs? A throbbing viscosity of slugs? If anyone out there knows the correct term, please share.
Fortunately, unlike the House Centipede, slugs are not invincible. Several gardening references suggested placing a shallow dish of beer out overnight to attract and drown the blasted beasties. I tried it and it works! However, this method depends on one’s ability to sacrifice a perfectly good bottle of beer. Why? Because I may be ruthless, but I’m not cruel. I wouldn’t force Budweiser, Miller or Coors on any creature.
In fact, maybe I shouldn’t be killing them at all considering they have certain regal qualities according to this site: "The sight of a courting pair of slugs majestically circling one another ... while they solemnly wave their oversized penises overhead puts the most improbably athletic couples of Pompeii and Khajuraho into a more appropriate and severely diminished perspective," note researchers C. David Rollo and William G. Wellington. "Athletic" is an even more appropriate adjective for great grey garden slugs, which are able to copulate in midair, suspended by stretchy strands of mucus up to 17 3/4 inches long.
Gives new meaning to the term “slugger,” huh?
On second thought…
Eeeeeeeeewwwww!
Yay! Thanks for asking what the collective noun for slugs was. I just typed that into google and this page came up. Special thanks to Scribbly989 for "puddle of slugs" and "walk of snails"
Posted by: lullabylily | Thursday, 24 July 2008 at 02:46 PM
Howdy. The collective noun for a group of slugs is a 'puddle of slugs'. Incidentally, the collective term for a group of snails is a 'walk of snails'.
Posted by: Scribbly989 | Monday, 21 May 2007 at 12:06 PM
"They have all sorts of things to shake." What is the shaker of choice when they "shake their booty"?
Posted by: PegTales | Monday, 01 November 2004 at 08:33 AM
"wave their...**overhead**"? Huh?
Don't forget that slugs are hermaphrodites. They have all sorts of things to shake.
The mascot of UC Santa Cruz is the banana slug
I've seen one. Truly impressive.
Posted by: lobbygow | Friday, 29 October 2004 at 10:45 AM
I can only imagine Jessamy's response to those pix. We saw a lot of 'em during that BBQ, fortunately not up that close!
Regarding messr.s Rollo and Wellington..."wave their...**overhead**"? Huh? A bizarre visual image indeed--one I have no wish to see! Bleah.
Posted by: rachel | Friday, 29 October 2004 at 07:12 AM
The mascot of UC Santa Cruz is the banana slug. They have a lot of those over there. I don't know if it's the name of their sports teams.
"Riders In The Sky" do a great song, in Celtic style, called "The Saltin' Of The Slug."
Posted by: Gordon | Thursday, 28 October 2004 at 02:44 PM