Why are banana slugs so slimy?
by Michael Ellis Back when I used to teach children about nature, I often relied on a “hook” to keep them focused. Slapping myself with stinging nettle was a great attention grabber, but banana slugs worked just as well and didn’t hurt as much. I’d find one and ask the kids, “How do you really know it’s a banana slug? It could be a raspberry slug, or even a peach slug. There is only one way to find out for sure.” They would scream as I carefully licked the entire body of the slug. Roll-ing my eyes upward as if I were tasting a fine wine, I would announce, “Yep, that’s a banana slug.” If I licked too hard and got some of the slug’s slime on my tongue, I would experience directly one of the many benefits of being slimy: protection from predators. Not only is the slime difficult to wipe off and unpalatable to eat, but it also contains an anesthetic that can numb the slug nibbler. However, not all predators are deterred—shrews love to eat banana slugs, and raccoons will roll slugs around i
