Slugs are molluscs
A slug is a gastropod mollusc, related to snails, clams and octopuses — not an insect at all.
A little slug. A lovely big adventure.
Susie's little nature guide
Did you
know?
Slugs may be small, squishy and slow, but they are full of surprises. Follow Susie into the undergrowth and discover the secret life of garden minibeasts.
Let'sexplore!
?
First things first
Is a slug an insect?
No! Insects have six jointed legs, three main body sections and a hard outer skeleton. A slug has no legs or bones. It is a soft-bodied mollusc and a close relative of a snail. Most slugs are essentially snails whose shell became very small or disappeared during evolution.
Slug0 legsSoft bodyMollusc
Insect6 legsHard outer skeletonArthropod
Eight slimy surprises
Amazing slug facts.
There is much more to a slug than a silvery trail.
They have four tentacles
The taller pair can detect light. The shorter pair help a slug explore using touch and smell.
Slime is super useful
Mucus helps a slug glide over rough ground, hold on to surfaces and keep its soft body from drying out.
They have tiny teeth
A ribbon-like mouthpart called a radula is covered in rows of microscopic teeth for scraping food.
Damp days are best
Slugs lose water easily, so many come out at night, after rain or when the garden is cool and damp.
Not all slugs eat plants
Different slugs eat different foods, including fungi, algae, dead leaves and decaying material. Some even eat other slugs.
They help recycle
By eating fungi and decaying matter, many slugs help break old material down and return nutrients to the soil.
They are part of a food web
Slugs are food for animals such as frogs, birds, hedgehogs and some ground beetles.
Sharing Susie's garden
Meet the minibeast neighbours.
Some are insects and some are not, but all can be found in the busy world beneath leaves, around flowers and under logs.
Ladybirds
Famous garden beetles. Many ladybirds and their larvae eat aphids.
Bees
Busy flower visitors that carry pollen between plants.
Butterflies
Winged insects that begin life as caterpillars.
Ground beetles
Fast night-time hunters; some species will eat small slugs and slug eggs.
Earthworms
Not insects. These soil-makers tunnel, mix earth and recycle dead leaves.
Woodlice
Not insects either. They are land-living relatives of crabs and help recycle dead plants.
Be a kind explorer
Go on a minibeast safari.
After rain, look gently beneath leaves and around damp, shady places. Observe with your eyes, leave creatures where you find them, and wash your hands when you finish.
Remember
Small creatures need safe homes too. Never use salt on a slug — it causes serious harm.
Take Susie's adventure home.
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