Banana Slug Courting - Sightings in the Forest of Big Basin State Park

Text by J. Zimmerman, Ph.D.
All photos (c) 2002 Scott Peden, Photographer and Docent at Big Basin State Park.

Forest and Tree Home, Glossary pages: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

Now revealed at Slug Central - How large banana slugs create little banana slugs.

Note the "grazing marks" on each other's side, and the lump under their "hood." The lump is their sex organ getting prepared for the act of mating, usually a very long event. The first 2 pictures were taken at 9:54 a.m.

A few minutes later, their position is slightly changed.

To respect the slugs' privacy, no further photos are shown until this, Scott's last photo, taken at 1:43 p.m. It appears that the slugs are in the process of separating.

Books on Slugs

Field Guide to the Slug Explore the Secret World of Slugs and Their Kin - In Forest, Fields, and Gardens from Southeast Alaska to California, by Western Society of Malacologists, David G. Gordon.

Banana Slug: A Close Look at a Giant Forest Slug of Western North America by Alice Bryant Harper, Daniel Harper (Photographer).

See also these pages

• The littlest and the largest slugs. (Takes a moment to download.)
• Survivalist slugs. (Take the time to download these unusual photos.)
• Articles - Our Index

Forest and Tree Home, Glossary pages: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

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Check our disclaimer. Text Copyright © 2002-2012 by J. Zimmerman. Photos Copyright © 2002-2012 by Scott Peden. The moral and intellectual property rights to the photos are asserted by Scott Peden. None of the photos referenced on this page may be reproduced without permission of Scott Peden.