Leopard slugs begin to entwine as they prepare to mate


Two leopard slugs in the condition to mate, crawl one after the other, the back one almost touching the front one. Both crawl towards an overhanging part of a wall or a tree branch, from where they rope down on a slime thread about 40 cm (16 in.) long. Hanging freely in the air they then mate by extending their penes and entwining them. Doing so, they make a characteristic flower like structure below them, where the spermatophores are exchanged. The keel back slugs are hermaphrodites, each individual is both male and female.


Size: 2831px × 4256px
Photo credit: © Wolstenholme Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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