The killer slug, Arion vulgaris, the orange spanish slug

I go through the forests, mountains, hills, fields, and waters to understand the living world and to create a living mind.

The Spanish slug, known by its scientific name Arion vulgaris, is a species of air-breathing land slug, in the family Arionidae.

I like to say it's the species: Arion vulgaris but, this slug belongs to a species complex that can only be differentiated by dissecting the genitalia.

There are three species in this complex: Arion ater, Arion rufus and Arion vulgaris. They may be dark brown, black, orange or reddish in color. The tentacles are darker.

It is amazing this orange through the infinite green of the leaves...

When disturbed, the slugs will emit copious amounts of mucus.

Hedgehogs, amphibians and reptiles, and some birds, many breeds of domestic ducks, feed on slugs.

As in the all living world, wherever you turn your gaze, you can meet an enemy. The life is heavy on earth.

But for now, it's the only solution, different from death, different of eternity.

Its distribution includes also various parts of Southern Europe and of Eastern Europe.

This is a highly invasive slug species.

Arion vulgaris is considered among the 100 worst alien species in Europe and this is the only land gastropod among them.

But, no species, is more invasive than the human specie...

This slug is omnivorous it eats living and dead plant material, fungi, ..... and carrion. It is most damaging to ornamental, vegetable strawberry, sunflower, potato, cabbage, parsley, bean, and fodder crops, clover, from seedlings to fully mature plants.

Arion vulgaris has the potential to live up to one year and can lay up to 400 eggs in a single summer.

In recent years, as its dominance has increased, it has been nicknamed "killer slug", perhaps due to its tendency to eat dead or weaker individuals of the species.

It is interesting to understand how, a creature that finds food near its (grass, leaves, plants are everywhere) has not developed anatomical rapid movement organs and devices. Other creatures must run at speeds of more than 100 km per hour to catch their prey and feed .

The life is simple if you have the patience to observe it and understand it.

The life is beautiful or ugly, depending on perspective ...

Objectively, nobody can tell if life is beautiful or ugly...

This slug has enough food. It's happy. It walks through the grass...like us, humans, when walk through a free hypermarket, wihtout prices...

But in the next second I can crush this slug ..

The life is beautiful, ugly, short, long, light, heavy, secure, insecure ... like a feeble bridge over the abyss ...

A beautiful life, I wish you!