Invertebrate · GBIF taxon 2295438
Leopard Slug
Limax maximusAlso known as Great Grey Slug, Tiger Slug
Leopard slugs travel through damp gardens and woodland floors under cover of darkness, feeding on decaying plants, fungi, and even other slugs. Adults perform a dramatic mating ritual, suspending themselves upside down from a tree branch or wall on a thick strand of slime. Their bold black spotted patterns provide camouflage against dappled leaf litter while warning away potential predators.
NocturnalMolluskSpotted
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Fungi
- Decaying Vegetation
- Other Slugs
Predators
- Toads
- Hedgehogs
- Ground Beetles
ThreatsPesticides, habitat desiccation, and urban pollution
HabitatsGardens, damp woodlands, parks, and leaf litter
Life span2 to 3 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderStylommatophora
- FamilyLimacidae
- GenusLimax
- SpeciesLimax maximus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskModerate
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is moderate
- Can carry rat lungworm parasites; wash hands thoroughly after contact and never ingest raw.
- Why it is dangerous
- Carries parasitic larvae such as rat lungworm, which can cause severe meningitis and neurological symptoms if ingested.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Identified by a greyish body up to twenty centimeters long with dark spots on the mantle and stripes along the tail.
- What to do
- Do not touch with bare hands, wash thoroughly after handling garden tools, and keep pets from eating wild slugs.
Responsible observation
- Nighttime Spotting: Search damp gardens after dark using a flashlight to catch them foraging or mating.
- Moist Refuges: Look under fallen logs, flower pots, and stone piles where they hide during dry daylight hours.
Competitor (c) Drepanostoma, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Drepanostoma · cc-by
Co-occurring Slug (c) Holger Krisp, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) H. Krisp, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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