Ash-black slug (Limax cinereoniger). Easily the largest slug I've ever seen but I gather they get much bigger, maxing out near 30 cm. Ravenna Gorge, Breitnau, Germany. #slug #gastropod #limacidae #nature #schnegel
@colinpurrington AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ! .. sorry .. Slugs are maybe my BIGGEST PHOBIA !! 😱 😱 I go "insane" if I see one ! What makes me super nuts is I read about those stories of people dying getting weird neurotoxins by touching slugs ( or worse eating them ) !

@gilesgoat @colinpurrington
Pictures aren't really a problem for me, but slugs, & to a lesser degree worms, really creep me out. Small slugs are almost worse because they're harder to see from a distance, & of course they can also damage vegetables! Worms are beneficial to the soil, & generally prefer to stay hidden underground, so are more tolerable in general.

I didn't know about the neurotoxins, now I find slugs even more repulsive (but also slightly more impressive as well, lol)!

@gilesgoat @colinpurrington
Slugs that carry worms - my worst nightmare! What a tragic story. Of course it happened in Australia, land of the world's deadliest creatures. & it's not surprising that alcohol & young men were involved, although it seems like they weren't drunk at the time, since they were trying to act like adults. Still, good to know about, thanks for sharing.
@gardenvarietylinguist I slipped on a slug during my undergraduate days at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Was barefoot at the time and will never forget that experience.
@colinpurrington Oh, everyone does that at Reed, right?! (I didn’t know you were a Reedie too!)
@savebees Class of '88! You?
@colinpurrington ‘99 Philosophy! It’s been awhile but it’s still lovely to go back to campus every long once in a while and meander through the canyon 🌱🪰🐛🕷️🕸️
@savebees @colinpurrington In between each of you, '94. Still wander the canyon when I get a chance, too.