Detailed information on Spotted Leopard Slug, Giant Leopard Slug (Limax maximus)

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Kates699

Sackets Harbor, NY | September 2023 | Neutral

I just found this slug on my front porch. Yikes!

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Rebecca1133

Belvidere, IL | October 2020 | Neutral

I found this nail in my garden in Belvidere Illinois, 26 miles from Wisconsin border. It was 2 inches long. Have no idea where it came from! Maybe he came in with mulch? I was transplanting a false indigo and maybe dug him up. But he was attached to a brick. I disposed of him Immediately and has set beer out to see if there are more!

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LMFE

Denville, NJ | August 2020 | Positive

I found one of these adorable guys around 6:30am when I was outside filling my bird feeders. I am in northern NJ. He seemed to be in a bit of a pickle to I helped him on to a large wet leaf (which he happily grabbed on to) and I brought him over to a shrub bed and let him climb on to one of my Hostas. He seems content now. But, I’m worried he isn’t close enough to the ground to go find a rock to burrow under. I’m going to go back outside soon to see how he is doing.

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Annema

West Chester, PA | July 2020 | Neutral

Someone gave me some wood chips from their garden, and this slug was on some bark. I\'ve never seen it before in my life and was shocked by its size! Before I could fetch a container to put it in, it vanished, unfortunately. I\'m in Chester Co., PA, so please add this site to the list. Thank you!!

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Lapislazulite

| August 2019 | Positive

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SimpleSue

Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b) | February 2019 | Positive

I am pleased to find so many other gardeners had positive reactions to the Leopard Slugs, and appreciated their beauty and enjoyed their presence in their gardens, as I do.

I'v never observed Leopard Slugs eating my plants, but I have observed the small gray slugs eating plants.
If you don't want slugs in your garden you don't have to kill them- just collect them and put them out in the woods.
Leopard Slugs do eat the small gray slugs.

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JustLetCreaturesLive

| December 2018 | Positive

I live a little south of Atlanta Ga. We have these guys all over and I love it!! They seem to gravitate toward our driveway though and it makes makes me sad to find find them run over . 3 this week alone. The rest of my family are pro homosapian. I'm the only lover of of all living things. I actually made this to ask... If there are 3 slugs on the concrete how many do u think there are in in the entire yard?? 2 acre. Rural landscape.

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Faithbruce84

Kellyville, OK | July 2018 | Neutral

Please make sure you are wearing gloves when handling these as several sites including a post on the CDC page say that they carry meningitis and can transfer the disease to people. I found out after finding one last year in the Tulsa Oklahoma metro area. I have these things all over my property.

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hamptons

Watermill, NY | July 2018 | Negative

Ha, I checked the list to make sure it’s been officially noted in my area and it has. I have photos of these things going back for years. In fact, I have a photo of my husband holding one up all the way back when he had a full head of black hair!

Now, if only someone would note that sowbugs are NOT harmless to plants and eat plenty of healthy plants and not just “dead plant material” I’ll be happy. My gardens have been overrun with sowbugs ever since I stupidly allowed landscapers to put mulch down. They got the mulch for free from the town and it had been sitting next to the landfill for months. Agh! I don’t use any pesticides so I guess I’m stuck with them.

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MeMow

Weston, OR | July 2018 | Positive

I discovered these guys here in north east Oregon about 3 years ago and I love them. It kind of freaked me out the first time I saw the hole in it's side and I thought I'd hurt it. Turns out it's a breather hole for when they're eating. I noticed they were coming out when I fed my outdoor cats soft food so my sister looked them up. Turns out they're carrion eaters. We watched a short clip of one eating a dead mouse and now feed them cat food just so we can watch. Never found one on a plant tho.

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elaine322

Spokane, WA | July 2018 | Negative

These huge, disgusting creatures are all over in Spokane Valley, Washington also, and have been for at least the past several years! They are so damaging to plants - and just about make me sick when I see one on the patio and especially when it has slimed its way up onto the deck! They seem to have even climbed all the way up the deck posts and into some of the pots of flowers on the railing! If I see a slug, I make sure that it's immediately a dead slug!!!!!

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Kelcienichole

Brazil, IN | August 2017 | Neutral

You may want to update the locations because I just saw this big long ugly slug at my doorstep in Brazil Indiana eating his own kind, and I mean he was LONG.

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greeneyed_witch76

Bloomington, IL | September 2015 | Positive

Did a double-take when I saw this guy on one of my potted plants on the patio this rainy Friday morning! Had never seen one like him before, so looked him up on this site and decided to share my own pic :-) I didn't touch him, and since he's outside and not hurting anything, I'm not about to go pour salt on the poor thing! Kind of creepy, kind of cool, very interesting! Just have to keep my dog from getting a little too curious and inhaling him, lol.

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missyb1236

Moulton, IA | September 2014 | Positive

I have been seeing these slugs in Moulton , Iowa for the( first time ever) this summer. As I've seen in other posts, my mother thought it was s snake and freaked out. I have so far seen approx. 7-8 of them around my property as well as inside my home. I actually think they are really neat, but VERY slimy and it is hard to wash the stickiness off your hands after handling them. There pattern is really beautiful.

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flo9

Asheville, NC | July 2014 | Negative

You can add Asheville, NC to the list!!!!! I just posted a picture of it. It's been eating my baby albino peppers for weeks now killing all of the new ones on 1 plant in only 1 container so far, however, leaves the larger peppers alone on the plant.

About a month ago I saw a huge solid black one the same size of this one in picture on my patio near my garden. Anyone know what type that would be?? Then about a week later saw a leopard slug on the sidewalk and then made it's way to the grass... likely heading over to my garden. They can move really fast!!!!!! Since then I've noticed my peppers getting ruined.

I have dermatosis earth (sp) often on my plants and this doesn't kill them like they normally do for small slugs. I sprinkled some salt on it last night an... read more

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sherriperri

Gainesville, GA | August 2013 | Positive

Found one today inside our water meter box, very interesting creature to watch, I had never seen one before, so I did some research. All the research I found says they can be beneficial by hunting other plant destroying slugs..some articles even say they can be a gardener's friend. Does anyone else know???

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alisondm

Cleveland Heights, OH | August 2013 | Positive

I found this outside of my apartment building. I've never seen a slug this big before and it is SO COOL. I brought it inside and made a terrarium for it. Don't kill these! Nature is so interesting!

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mkhenricks

Indianapolis, IN | December 2012 | Positive

I found one of these on my porch on a somewhat rainy day. A couple of pieces of dry cat food had become dampened by the rain. The slug made its way over and ate chunks of cat food! I took a couple of pictures before it slimed it's way back off the porch with a full belly. (Belly? Do slugs have a belly? Or are they like worms, just an alimentary canal?)
Tonight I found one again around some cat food that I put out for a neighbor. It is much colder now and this slug seemed to have a problem with the dropping temp.
I just checked on him and he seems dead. There was some kind of large bean shaped egg, something on one end.
I have seen their glistening trails on the sidewalks. I don't know why people want to kill them, since they share this Earth with us and seem harmles... read more

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lmarie357

Glen Park, NY | July 2012 | Positive

At first i thought it was a stick - then i realized it was moving. I must admit i was a bit creeped out, but also intrigued because I had never seen a slug this huge! It. Was late at night and i had my cell phone for a flashlight so it was difficult to coax this creature onto a big stick using a little stick and not dropping the phone! I had to bring it home and fins out what it was...and to watch it...i was just amazed and excited to learn about it.
so now Fred- since they are hermaphrodites i guess fred is as good a name as any -is residing in a moist habitat of coconut fiber and moss. (Just happened to have it since I recently took in the tinniest frog i have ever seen...but thats another post.
It is amazing to watch, once you get past the gross out factor of the slime! ... read more

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hulkflower22

Boise, ID | July 2010 | Positive

My friend and I were outside talking one night and she freaked out because she thought she saw a snake!! It actually ended up being a huge slug! We freaked out and took pictures and jumped up and down like crazy people but were quite amazed by how large it was. We found this site and discovered what kind of slug it was and also read comments left by other users. We found it quite offensive to hear that people are getting such a thrill out of pouring salt on these poor helpless slugs. I am glad to hear that we are not the only ones who were excited to see such an amazing creature. We, however, left him alone in the garden rather than making him a new home...and would never pick something that slimy looking up. BUT AMEN SISTER!! If the bugs are in nature they should be left alone.

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nononoall

Athens, TX | May 2010 | Positive

Last night my small dog got me up to go for a walk to do his business. My yard has been under siege by voles, the vegetarian cousin of a mole. I have a new Kiwi vine started and it has been struggling so I expected it was under attack by the voles. Being dark, I led the way by flashlight to near the Kiwi plant. There on the pine bark was a darkish brown to tan spotted thing. I thought perhaps the cat had left a bad present. I got up to it real close anyway sensing it was not the other. Then I noticed how big it was. It was about 2--3 inches wide by roughly 4--6 inches long. I still was not sure what it was but I am the curious sort, so I picked it up with my bare hands. Wrong number one. Slime and it was coming out profusely as a milky or chalky colored fluid. When I got to the house, I go... read moret the creature into the light by the sink and rinsed him off with water. Wrong number two. They need unchlorinated water or old water, distilled is fine too. My well water will be used from here on out. I put the creature in a see through clean and empty pudding cup and taped another on top. I poked air holes in top and went to bed.

This morning and the rest of the day I tried to find out what I had found and made the thing comfortable. Finally after several hours of looking I came to Wikipedia which had an excellent picture of a Limax maximus. Hooray, this is the creature I found! I found him very interesting to observe and watched him closely while pages loaded on the computer. I now have him in a large vase usually used for raising beta aquarium fish. He now has sandy, humusy soil and a sprinkling of calcium rich grit from Hartz that my bird never used. I set up a big smooth rock, a clean piece of iron leaning up for him to climb on and hide behind. I got some window screen and cut it to fit the top. I got a heavy duty rubber band and squeezed the screen and rubber band to tighten and shape it to the top. That was not tight enough to suit me, so I made a length with bread ties and put it around the top too. That made it tight enough by twisting tightly. It is usually pretty cool in my house due to excessive desire for air conditioning so I hope my Leopard slug, otherwise known as Limax maximus, will be comfortable with his new mama, me! With max in his genus and species his name will naturally be Max!

When I go see my oldest grand-daughter graduate in June, I expect one or all of my seven grandchildren will be trying to take over ownership of this interesting little guy. I have been thoroughly entertained and fascinated by this particular member of the slug and snail family.

With all the movies and series out there talking about shape-shifters and morphing into something else, this creature fits the bill as a true shape shifter. The size I found him in originally became, under threat, a mere 2 inch by 3 inch fat blob. It shrinks itself into any number of shapes. Long and skinny, short and fat, curvy, straight, bent double, and on and on in an infinite variety of poses.

I recommend those who hate them to offer them to neighbors, children with permission of their parents, and fools like me who love a new scientific subject to learn about. Send them to me. I am hooked and want more! As a postscript, Dollar Tree sells critter keepers for a dollar. Can't beat that! I give the Leopard slug a positive and thumbs up for being of immense interest to the curious.

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morrigan

Craryville, NY | July 2008 | Positive

You know, every creature has their role to play. The more we mess with the balance in our own little microcosms, the larger and larger the imbalance everywhere. Yes, they are slimey, and awful to step on in bare feet in the dark! BUT, aside from some nominal damage to leafy lettuces and such, what harm are they really doing? I enjoy their presence, and know that they are just making a living, like everyone else in the cosmos!

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thethorinator

Clinton, MA (Zone 5a) | April 2008 | Neutral

Although destructive pests, I know of one very sure way to kill them and be rid of the eggs or young which they carry...Sodium...that's right, simply shake a couple of dashes of table salt on the digusting things and watch them dry up and die before your eyes! Especially rewarding if done while they are stuck together mating!! The same method rids of snails as long as their bodies/feet are exposed, as even squishing them doesn't guarantee destruction of the eggs which I believe, but am not certain, that they carry. I've never tried the other forms of sodium like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) but it could work, try it and re-post, please! RID THE WORLD OF SLUGS...ACK!
LOL
Thor

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jenewton

Peru, IN | April 2008 | Negative

I agree with everyone else..these slime guys are of no use to me at all! I had never seen such large slugs until I moved to Indiana. This is the furthest south I've ever lived. I always find them hiding under leaf litter or under landscaping timbers.

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Gabrielle

(Zone 5a) | October 2007 | Negative

For several years our neighborhood battled these. Neighbors would be out every evening with the salt shakers, trying to get them under control. The would climb up the walls of the house to mate, and leave their slime all over ... of course it made them easier to find and salt. They were everywhere! Once I accidentally brought one in on a pair of shoes and it made a mess in the kitchen ... the slime does not wash off easily! I wonder if ammonia would kill them as easily as it does other slugs?

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renwings

Sultan, WA (Zone 8a) | October 2006 | Negative

Everytime I see one of these guys, I want to scream. They are horrifically disgusting.
They devore my seedlings and my marigolds down to the soil. They love my strawberries. They eat the chicken feed too.
They are huge and unstoppable, they laugh in the face of slug repellants.
I actually had one crawl UNDER my front door, across the floor and up a wall before I discovered it in the morning. I thought they were scary OUTSIDE . . .
The chickens won't even attempt to eat them, they are so huge. I have found them sharing hiding places with salamanders.

Spotted Leopard Slug, Giant Leopard Slug

Limaxmaximus

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