16 Feb 2018

Critter of the Week The Paua Slug

From Afternoons, 3:23 pm on 16 February 2018
The Paua Slug

The Paua Slug Photo: CC-BY Mike Dickison

Is it a slug? Is it a snail?

What does that shell remind you of?

Paua slugs, or Schizoglossa, are a bit of everything.

These carnivorous slugs are found only in the North Island of NZ and have a distinctive paua shaped shell on their back.

They are officially a 'semi-slug', and like a paua are a gastropod but the resemblance of the shell is a coincidence.

DOC's Threatened Species Ambassador tells us about being sluggish.

The Paua Slug - Schizoglossa novoseelandica

The Paua Slug - Schizoglossa novoseelandica Photo: CC-BY-NC Jussiep