h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK... I know what happens when you drop salt on a 'land slug'... but I hadn't heard about caffeine before. And are slugs partial to beer like snails?

Also... there was an unfortunate accident the other night in my back garden when my wife ran out to get the washing off the clothes line. Bare foot, she stepped on a slug. She told me it exploded beneath her feet and she felt it. Anyway... after getting the washing in I went back with a torch to check the damage and the slug was still shifting along with various black and brown innards on a thin strip of fleshy stuff dragging behind it. There was also something off-white about half the size of my small fingernail - but that was detached altogether.

By morning the slug was dead and a lot thinner and the gore and innards were gone. A slightly bloated slug was leaving the scene of the crime.

What the heck was that off white thing? How long would a slug survive without its internal organs - or was it on the automatic pilot you're supposed to get in chickens and humans after a beheading?

So are they cannabilistic like I suspect snails are then?

Yep... most definitely. I've seen it happen before. We had a slugfest during some really wet weather. Not all of the slugs survived... and those rapidly became lunch for the others. I've seen a slug climb over another slug before, due to the stationary slug being engrossed in feeding, and wondered whether the climbing slugs would attack the slug underneath it... It didn't, but it had me wondering for a while.

They are Grim little creatures aren't they
I'm afraid I don't share the sentiments of the article - even if it was me that recommended it from Peer Review!

Bicarbonate of soda can be interesting to watch. I tried it once on a slug climbing up a wall, and boy did it froth. When I came back out the following morning, all that was left was this thick stain, the colour of mushy peas. Anyone got any idea why a frothy slug would go bright green?

Bez - Valient slayer of many mighty slugs.

The caffeine reference can be explained on this BBC News page:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2067000/2067214.stm

I would guess that the off-white thing was the internal shell that some slugs are said to have as mentioned in the original article.

Slugs also feed on other carcasses than on their own species. I have seen some dozens slugs feeding on a dead bird.

Slugs may be sectioned easily by running them over with a broom (which is counterproductive for further cleaning activities). However, one thing that doesn't disintegrate them is doing turns in a washing machine. Once, we had left a basement window open. A slug crept into out house, but soon the environment must have been to dry for it, and it was looking for a moister spot. And it crept into the washing machine. Washing clothes in this machine soon turned out to be counterproductive as well (because of the slime), but the slug was found in one piece and more solid than before.

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