Sign-In
Cart
Slugs: A Natural and Cultural History
Paperback
PREORDER - Expected ship date November 10, 2026
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 1784276774
ISBN13: 9781784276775
Publisher: Pelagic
Published: Nov 10 2026
Pages: 144
Weight: 0.31
Language: English
ISBN13: 9781784276775
Publisher: Pelagic
Published: Nov 10 2026
Pages: 144
Weight: 0.31
Language: English
A natural and cultural history of the oft-reviled slug, exploring the important role of these exquisite molluscs within ecosystems, their evolution and our complex relationship with them. Whether we are fascinated or repelled by them, few of us are indifferent to slugs. In evolutionary terms, they are among the most successful animals on the planet - all the more extraordinary given that they have done away with the protective shell of their ancestors. But slugs have garnered a bad reputation as enemies of the gardener, notorious for the damage they can cause, and have typically been treated as objects of disgust. This book challenges common perceptions of slugs, calling for a reappraisal of their ecological significance and an appreciation of their unique behaviour patterns. Readers will learn: - How slugs are classified and their origin from shelled, snail ancestors, as well as the key features that distinguish slugs from other animals;
- The surprisingly complex anatomy of a slug, and the varied uses of its slime;
- Historical attitudes to slugs, their depiction in literature and art, and why they have been so disdained;
- Profiles of exotic and unusual slugs, including carnivorous slugs and the colourful - but toxic - sea slugs;
- The remarkable and highly ritualised courtship and sexual practices of slugs;
- How slugs have adapted to life without a shell by developing chemical defences against predators. Packed with illustrations and photographs, this book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to one of nature's most misunderstood creatures.
- Historical attitudes to slugs, their depiction in literature and art, and why they have been so disdained;
- Profiles of exotic and unusual slugs, including carnivorous slugs and the colourful - but toxic - sea slugs;
- The remarkable and highly ritualised courtship and sexual practices of slugs;
- How slugs have adapted to life without a shell by developing chemical defences against predators. Packed with illustrations and photographs, this book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to one of nature's most misunderstood creatures.
Also from
Williams, Peter
A Handbook on Accession to the Wto: A Wto Secretariat Publication
World Trade Organization
Williams, Peter
Paperback
$99.00
Also in
Zoology
The Pig and I: The Tale of Our Relationship with a Beast We Eat
Endresen, Kristoffer Hattleland
Hardcover
From $10.99
National Audubon Society Pocket Guide to Familiar Birds: Eastern Region: Eastern
National Audubon Society
Paperback
$6.99
The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present
Brusatte, Steve
Hardcover
$33.25
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
Montgomery, Sy
Paperback
From $11.99
Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World
Werb, Dan
Hardcover
$27.00
Hidden Creatures: Luscious Leeches, Bashful Botflies, and the Wondrous, History-Shaping World of Parasites
Martins, Dino
Hardcover
$27.00
The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care
Preston, Elizabeth
Hardcover
$28.50
A Bird's IQ: Innovation, Intelligence, and Problem Solving in the Avian World
Lefebvre, Louis
Hardcover
$26.60
National Geographic the Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals
Sartore, Joel
Chadwick, Douglas H.
Hardcover
$19.99
Romp!: A Journey Through the Natural History of Otters and Why They Matter
Island, Heide, PhD
Hardcover
$27.55
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canada, 8th Edition
Floyd, Ted
Paperback
$31.34
Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
$18.04
Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us
Zuk, Marlene
Hardcover
$26.96
Yellowstone Wildlife: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Animals of the Yellowstone Area
Kavanagh, James
Other
$8.50
What Sheep Think about the Weather: How to Listen to What Animals Are Trying to Say
Thomas, Amelia
Paperback
$16.19
Adorable Animals (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 2)
Quattlebaum, Mary
National Geographic Kids
Paperback
$5.69
Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research
Kaplan, Melanie D. G.
Hardcover
From $12.99
Tigers Between Empires: The Improbable Return of Great Cats to the Forests of Russia and China
Slaght, Jonathan C.
Hardcover
From $19.99
A Horse's Life: The Neuroscience of Equine Welfare
Peters, Stephen
Rashid, Mark
McDonald, Crissi
Paperback
$23.74
Running with Sherman: How a Rescue Donkey Inspired a Rag-Tag Gang of Runners to Enter the Craziest Race in America
McDougall, Christopher
Paperback
$18.05
Gifts of the Crow: How Perception, Emotion, and Thought Allow Smart Birds to Behave Like Humans
Angell, Tony
Marzluff, John
Paperback
$18.99
The National Parks Traveler's Companion: A Journal Featuring Bucket Lists, Writing Prompts, and Passport Stamp Logs
Potter Gift
Federman, Rachel
Paperback
$20.90
Backyard Birds of North America: A Guide to Identifying and Attracting Your Favorite Birds
O'Sullivan, Daniel
Hardcover
$33.25
Elephants and Their Fossil Relatives: A 60 Million Year Journey
Larramendi, Asier
Ferretti, Marco P.
Hardcover
$37.95
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild
Anthony, Lawrence
Spence, Graham
Paperback
$19.00
Crayfish, Crawfish, Crawdad: The Biology and Conservation of North America's Favorite Crustaceans
Graham, Zackary A.
Paperback
$26.60
What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird
Montgomery, Sy
Hardcover
From $12.99
A Year with the Seals: Unlocking the Secrets of the Sea's Most Charismatic and Controversial Creatures
Morris, Alix
Hardcover
$28.50
East Africa Wildlife: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species in Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda
Kavanagh, James
Paperback
$8.50
Animal Diaspora: Decoding Ice Age Mysteries to Reveal the Future of Migration
Struzik, Edward
Hardcover
$30.40
Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search for a Planetary Intelligence
Bridle, James
Paperback
From $11.99
The Secret Lives of Dinosaurs: Unearthing the Real Behaviors of Prehistoric Animals
Lomax, Dean R.
Nicholls, Robert
Hardcover
$37.00
The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals
Tuttle, Merlin
Paperback
$18.99
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness
Montgomery, Sy
Hardcover
$27.54
Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States: Your Way to Easily Identify Bees and Look-Alikes
Holm, Heather
Paperback
$9.45
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canadaâ "West, 2nd Edition
Floyd, Ted
Paperback
$23.74
Pacific Coast Bird Finder: Identifying Common Birds Along the Pacific Coast
Lederer, Roger J.
Paperback
$7.55
What the Bears Know: How I Found Truth and Magic in America's Most Misunderstood Creatures--A Memoir by Animal Planet's the Bear Whisperer
Searles, Steve
Erskine, Chris
Paperback
$18.95
The Handbook Of Nature Study in Color - Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians, Invertebrates
Comstock, Anna
Paperback
$21.24
The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paperback
$18.05
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of the United States and Canadaâ "East, 2nd Edition
Floyd, Ted
Paperback
$23.74
Animal Tracks of the Northeast: Your Way to Easily Identify Animal Tracks
Poppele, Jonathan
Paperback
$9.45
The Julia Rothman Wild Collection: Ocean Anatomy, Wildlife Anatomy, Insect Anatomy
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
$54.15
Introduction to Animal and Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology
Aspinall, Victoria
Cappello, Melanie
Paperback
$52.50
Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest: Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates
Moskowitz, David
Paperback
$28.49
The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog: And Other Serious Discoveries of Silly Science
York, Carly Anne
Hardcover
$27.00
Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History
Wagner, David L.
Paperback
$33.25
Amazon Animals (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 3/Fact Reader): 100 Fun Facts about Snakes, Sloths, Spiders, and More
Davidson, Rose
National Geographic Kids
Paperback
$5.69
East Africa Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species in Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda
Kavanagh, James
Paperback
$8.50
Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters Sasquatch Chupacabras and Other Authentic M
Clark, Jerome
Coleman, Loren
Paperback
$20.90