{"id":1441,"date":"2009-07-26T21:07:12","date_gmt":"2009-07-26T20:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/archives\/1441"},"modified":"2013-11-13T21:36:46","modified_gmt":"2013-11-13T21:36:46","slug":"the-amazing-mating-display-of-the-leopard-slug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.permuted.org.uk\/photography\/the-amazing-mating-display-of-the-leopard-slug\/","title":{"rendered":"The Amazing Mating Display of the Leopard Slug"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

If you find slugs disgusting, I suspect this post won't change your mind. It's a short series of shots of the leopard slug (Limax maximus<\/i>) mating. There's a longer sequence<\/a> over on my main site for the really obsessive.<\/p>\n

I have seen this in the garden a couple of times before, and it is one of the most unusual matings you are ever likely to encounter. The slug is 'hermaphroditic', that is each slug has both male and female reproductive systems. But in the strange world of the leopard slug it still takes two to tango (both are fertilized by the process). That's oddity number one. Number two is that they do all this while suspended by their version of a bungee rope. Third, their sexual organ emerges from behind their head. And fourth, the organ is prehensile, has flanges and is a luminescent pale blue in colour.<\/p>\n

<\/span> The beginning<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span> A few minutes in, and their reproductive organs are entwined<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span> After several more minutes…<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span> Disentangling<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span> The end<\/span><\/a>
\"Nature<\/a><\/span>
Camera note: all shots were taken with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG macro lens, except the first when I still had the EF70-300mm 4.5-5.6 DO IS on the camera.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1046],"tags":[561],"class_list":["post-1441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behaviour","category-leopard-slugs","tag-leopard-slug-mating","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t