Leopard slug in Southern Ontario

[Scythemantis]

These were everywhere in Maryland where I lived from birth to 2007, but I nevr fully appreciated them until I spent the past two years in Florida where slugs seem incredibly difficult to find. I'm back in Maryland now and have found dozens of these under rotting wood, it feels so good to see them again.

I have NEVER seen one as large as your photo, unless you have uncommonly tiny hands and arms. I wonder if I can nurture any of these into such monsters

I have read that they are also part-time predators of smaller slugs, and will cannibalize one another. It's commonly claimed that the Banana Slug is the largest, but these do get bigger by around an inch or two.

 

[inkl]

I'm told my hands are pretty tiny, but they're not freaky carnie hands by any means. I measured the distance it stretched on my arm in that picture, and it's about 7 1/4 inches. It's a pretty awesome slug.
That mating video is wonderful, I almost cheered when my invertebrates prof put it on last year!

 

[pavel]

Damn that slimeball is HUGE! Bigger than the black slugs I used to slip on in Hawaii when walking at night. Was just like stepping on a banana peel ........

 

[koolkid98]

I just found some slug babies i might keep em.

 

[inkl]

Slug babies :3

 

[Scythemantis]

Just found the largest I've ever encountered last night! It looks like a wimp compared to yours....but we still might have differently sized arms. Maybe we should compare them to a no.2 pencil

 

[inkl]

Yours looks about the same length of mine, never underestimate the stretching power of a slug.

I just found a (relatively) tiny one on the same stretch of bike path this morning. It's just shy of 2 inches long. I have a few little cousins who like bugs and slimy things, I think I'll see if one of them wants a new pet.

 

[Scythemantis]

Nevermind my previous one....I think this is bigger :0

 

[inkl]

Woah!
I'm heading to Maryland this Friday, I should keep an eye out for more of these things!

A little while ago I found four more huge ones, a smaller 1-inch one, and I've also seen two other large ones that were squished by bikes . My aunt and uncle are also into "interesting" pets, so they have all the slugs now!
I wonder if someone dumped out some soil with eggs in it, I'm finding them all in the same small section of bike path, it's crazy!