Spotted Leopard Slugs Mating
April 21, 2010
Hi WTB!
I snapped these photos of a pair of what I think are Spotted Leopard Slugs doing the wild thing hanging from a thick strand of slime attached to the side of my house. At one point, there were two males trying to get to the female, but one fell off. This was the end result. A gooey sky blue slime wad. I never knew slugs mated like that! I thought maybe you could use this for your site.
Keep up the great work! I slug-love What’s That Bug!
Rebecca White
Charlotte, NC
Dear Rebecca,
The mating positions of these hermaphroditic Spotted Leopard Slugs is positively salacious. All slugs are hermaphrodites, so you are mistaken in believing that the third member in the encounter was a male. The close-up photograph you included is quite graphic, and viewers should exercise caution before reading more. Several years ago we posted a photo of Spotted Leopard Slugs mating and that letter sparked quite a controversy. You can read about it on our archive.
how beautiful and disturbing
Saw the very same thing hanging from our watertank in the garden the other night. I was absolutely fascinated but didnt know what it was, now glad to have found the answer on your site!!
We are glad that our site was of service to you.
Hi Mr. Bugman…..
So, that grayish mass hanging below the 2 slugs is actually the 2 penises intertwined?
Are the penises coming out of their heads?
Thank you for all you do for us!
Alas, our editorial staff would need to research your question on slug anatomy, and rather than do that right now, we prefer to post a few new inquiries with images as there is so much unanswered email in our inbox. We are confident that Slugs are hermaphrodites, and they mate to exchange DNA.
Hi Mr. Bugman…..
So, that grayish mass hanging below the 2 slugs is actually the 2 penises intertwined?
Are the penises coming out of their heads?
Thank you for all you do for us!