10/17/2016
Directions: Read the following text and find text evidence that explains what adaptations these slimy decomposers use to survive.
Directions: Read the following text and find text evidence that explains what adaptations these slimy decomposers use to survive.
Sensational Slugs
Like land snails, most slugs have four 'feelers' or tentacles on their head. The upper two (the "optical tentacles") see light and have eyespots at the ends, while the lower two (the "sensory tentacles") are used for smelling. The tentacles are retractable, and can regrow if lost.
On top of the slug, behind the head, is a body part called the mantle. On one side (almost always the right side) of the mantle is a breathing hole.
The bottom of a snail is called a "foot". Like other snails, a slug moves by rhythmic waves of muscle contraction on the bottom of its foot. At the same time, it secretes a layer of mucus on which it travels, which helps prevent damage to the foot. Around the edge of the foot is the 'foot fringe'.
Slugs produce two types of mucus: one is thin and watery, and the other thick and sticky. The mucus secreted by the foot contains fibers that help prevent the slug from slipping down vertical surfaces. The "slime trail" a slug leaves behind has some secondary effects: other slugs coming across a slime trail can recognize the slime trail as produced by one of the same species. Following a slime trail is also part of the hunting behavior of some carnivorous slugs. In addition, body mucus provides some protection against predators, as it can make the slug hard to pick up and hold by a bird's beak, for example, and the mucus itself can be distasteful.