Species Fact Profile: California Banana Slug (Ariolimax californicus)

 California Banana Slug

Ariolimax californicus (G. Cooper, 1872)

Range: California and Oregon

Habitat: Redwood Forest

Diet: Detritus - dad plants, mushrooms, animal feces, moss

Social Grouping: Asocial

Reproduction:  Breeding takes place year round.  Courtship may be aggressive, involving striking and biting.  All individuals are hermaphrodites.  One partner provides the sperm, the other lays the eggs (up to 75), which are deposited on a log or in the leaf litter and then left to their own devices.  Some individuals may self-fertilize (provide both eggs and sperm)

Lifespan: 7 Years

Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

• Usually bright yellow in color, but may be greenish or tan, or pale yellow to the point of almost appearing white.  Color can change in response to diet, moisture, light exposure, and health.  In general, a brighter yellow is a healthier individual
• Adult body length 17-20 centimeters - common name refers to size, shape, and color of adults
• Sense the environment using two pairs of tentacles on the face - a larger upper pair, usually called "eyestalks" which sense light and movement, and a smaller lower pair which detect chemical changes.  The tentacles can expand to sense new stimuli or retreat into the body for safety.  If they are injured or removed by a predator, the slug can grow new ones
• Exude thick coat of mucus to protect itself from drying out.  If the weather is too dry, they may become inactive inside an additional mucus coat.  Most active at night or on cool, moist days to protect themselves from drying out
• Predators include raccoons, moles, shrews, snakes, birds, salamanders and other animals.  Some predators roll the slugs in dirt prior to eating them in order to remove the slimy coat, which can have a numbing effect on the mouths of predators
• Historically were a food source for some Native Americans, later eaten by European immigrants.  Today is still a popular part of local culture, which includes slug races at some festivals.
• Mascot of the University of California, Santa Cruz