Ghost slug
The ghost slug is pure white and has no eyes at all. It lives deep in the soil and only comes up at night, so people almost never see it. Unlike most slugs, it is a hunter that eats earthworms.
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Fun facts
It can live as deep as a metre under the ground.
It was only named in 2008, after people kept finding strange white slugs in Welsh gardens.
It was picked as one of the top 10 new animals and plants found in 2008.
Its breathing hole is at the back end of its body, near the tail, not at the front like most slugs.
Scientists think it may have come to Britain hidden in the soil of a potted plant.
Most asked questions about Ghost slug
?Is the ghost slug dangerous?
No. It is not harmful to people. It only hunts earthworms.
?Why is it called the ghost slug?
Because it is white, comes out at night and is very rarely seen, like a ghost.
?What does the ghost slug eat?
Earthworms. It catches them underground with its sharp teeth.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Selenochlamys ysbryda
- Named by
- Rowson & Symondson, 2008
- Group
- Snails, slugs and worms
- Family
- Oxychilidae
- Classification
- Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Oxychilidae
- Lives on
- Europe
Where the facts come from
- Selenochlamys ysbryda (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by ©Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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