I remember seeing giant banana slugs years ago when we visited the campus of the University of Santa Cruz in California. The paths through campus were crawling — if that’s the right word — with these pretty, albeit slimy, bright yellow mollusks. Their prevalence on campus explains, I guess, why the banana slug is the mascot of the university. While I have seen smaller slugs of other less interesting colors over the years, I have rarely  to seen one quite as large or as striking as those that I remember from Santa Cruz.

But then the other day Chris and I were walking around on the Neckar Island here in Tübingen when Chris looked to our right and spotted a rather large orange slug decoratively perched along the top of an old log:

Slug on log, Neckar Island, Tübingen

I don’t know is if it is a slug that changes colors like a chameleon to blend into its surroundings. Are there such slugs?  Or is it really just a coincidence that the slug we saw was so simllar in color to the orange spots on the log?

Whatever the reason, I felt it was definitely a slug ready for its closeup.

Or, at least, for its photo to be taken in a way that was as close as I was willing to get. 😉

Enjoy.

Closer look – Slug on log, Neckar Island, Tübingen