Stats

Lifespan: About 1 yr
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe
Movement: Slithering
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The milky slug is one of the most widespread agricultural pest slugs in the world, found across Europe, North America, and beyond. When injured or stressed, it releases a distinctive milky-white mucus — the trait that gives it its name.

Life cycle

1.
juvenile
A juvenile mollusk takes adult form after its larval phase and begins building or growing its shell.
2.
adult
Fully grown at adult shell size or body length.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Agriolimacidae
Genus: Deroceras
Species: Deroceras reticulatum