Go to Content [1] Go to Menu [2] Top of page [3] Home Slug Solutions Slug Facts Garden Guides Slug Chat 28 February 2018 Home › Slug Facts Site Map Every gardener loathes their presence but, “What exactly is a slug?” I hear you enquire... Black Slug (Arion ater) Well, slugs belong to the large animal group called gastropods , from the Latin ‘gastro’ (stomach) and ‘poda’ (foot). You’re probably more familiar with the garden varieties of slugs and snails, but gastropods have diversified to colonise most habitats on the planet; from woodlands to deserts, and from high mountains to the deepest rivers. The most abundant forms are the marine gastropods such as sea slugs and snails. But not content with being such a hugely diversified animal group in their own right, gastropods themselves belong to the even bigger family of molluscs , from the Latin ‘molluscus’ (thin shelled). It’s estimate...