Click for image of slug

by

Ohio State University

Adults:
Slugs are similar to snails but do not have the hard shell that the snail has. Slugs are legless and boneless. There are many different species that vary in appearance and habit. Slugs can be 1/2 to 5 inches long and vary in color from ash-gray or yellowish-gray to black, sometimes with specks or mottling. The most common is the gray garden slug. The gray garden slug is whitish-yellow to mottled black and about 3/4 inches in length.

Eggs:
Egg are gelatinous and watery in appearance and vary in size and shape, ranging from 1/8 -1/4 inches and round or oval. Egg clusters of about 25 eggs are deposited on the soil surface in concealed, moist locations. The female will lay between about 100 eggs in total.

Immatures:
Immature slugs resemble the adults but are smaller and usually lighter in color.