Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)
Huldra Forsvant (Theodor Kittelsen)

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Slug Love

Wanna see something gross? Of course you do. The other day the kids spied this writhing mass of slugginess--


The closer we looked, the more stomach-churning it all became. And yet it was impossible to look away. Strangely compelling, it was  What the heck is that weird pale blue monstrosity?


Is that normal? Does it hurt? It was connected somehow to both of the young lovers, and then within seconds it kind of shrunk, retracted and disappeared. Also, consider the strength of the mucus membrane holding the weight of those two hefty slugs to the wall. Wowsers.

E did a bit of a Google to find out about the weird blue thing. She discovered the terrible truth. Read at your own absolute peril. You have been sufficiently warned.

Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.[10] Once a slug has located a mate, they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia. A few days later, the slugs lay around thirty eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log.

Apophallation is a commonly seen practice among many slugs. In apophallating species, the penis curls like acorkscrew and during mating, it often becomes entangled in the mate's genitalia. Apophallation allows the slugs to separate themselves by one or both of the slugs chewing off the other's penis. Once its penis has been removed, the slug is still able to mate using only the female parts of its reproductive system.[10] (Wikipedia)



3 comments:

Gary Ware said...

Can you embed some Barry White music on this post page?

Anonymous said...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I knew I didn't know much about slugs, but I certainly wasn't expecting THAT! This post was both hilarious and educational - thank you.

Jessica said...

I read about snail sex in a Gerald Durrell book and it's quite rare to see, so I'm actually excited you got pictures! GREAT POST!