As we watched a slug ooze its way down his Dr. Pepper can, my friend asked me tonight how slugs reproduce. We were at a total loss, so we decided to research. What I’ve found is fascinating and mind-boggling.
Surely they don’t lay eggs, I thought. However, this pest control site claims that slugs do in fact lay eggs, but less than snails do, which may include up to 100 eggs at a time, depending on species.
Herewe discovered that slugs are hermaphrodites! Usually slugs start as ‘males’ because their sperm matures first. Once the sperm is expelled, the female organs mature. In some species, a slug can mate, lose its penis and then become a female.
Searching For Truth, don’t despair! The search for knowledge cannot be fettered by the petty.
Personally, I was forced to write sentences in eighth grade science class for daring to ask if snails had orgasms. I never did get a straight answer and I think I was scarred for life.
I have seen nudibranchs (sea slugs) mating often. (Nudibranchs fascinate me, so I’m looking out for them all the time, not just trying to perve on them!)
