Both generally feed at night and thrive in dark, damp environments.
What Is a Snail?
This helps the snail glide along surfaces and, along with snail waste, leaves behind a silvery trail.
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Snails feed at night and are indiscriminate about food sources, sampling almost anything available within a short distance.
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Fun Fact
Approximately 60-thousand species of snails are identified around the world.
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What Is a Slug?
These creatures are light brown to gray with larger forms sometimes bearing spots.
The upper part of the torso features a raised, ridged mantle.
The Spruce / Heidi Kolsky
Slugs also move by using a moist ‘foot’ to help propel them across surfaces.
They do not have shells.
Many species are hermaphrodites and reproduce bylaying eggs.
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Both are sensitive to drying heat and keep their soft bodies moist by producing mucous.
Here are a few ways to tell the difference between snails and slugs.
If you see just a few of these animals in your gardens there is probably no need to panic.
In large numbers, they become a nuisance around a home.
Check with your state’s Department of Agriculture to find out if regulations exist in your state.
Garden Insects of North America.Archive.org
Featured Creatures.
Heliciculture U.S.
All About Slugs.
John Innes Center
Biology and Life Cycle of the Gray Field Slug.
Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences
