DID YOU KNOW that slugs can stretch to more than 28 times their original length, in order to squeeze through gaps to get at food? No, nor did I.

I'm indebted to a delightful magazine called SURREY NATURE for all these facts about slugs and snails.

Snails smell with their tentacles and are completely deaf.

We share 78% of our DNA with slugs.

Slug and snail slime is so protective that they can slither along the edge of a razorblade with no ill effects.

Slugs and snails belong to a small group of molluscs called gastropods; the word means 'belly feet'.

Slugs should always be treated with respect and carefully returned to a neighbour's garden.

The longest snail ever recorded was 16 inches long (38 centimetres).

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