Dear Paul and others,

Slugs have numerous enemies in the animal world. Here are a few examples:
Birds: Thrushes, Starlings, Magpies (Mienis, 1992), Jackdows (Mienis, 2000),
and many others are fond of slugs. Often they wipe the slime of the slugs
body before swallowing them;
Mammals: at least hedgehogs and shrews are feeding on slugs;
Reptiles: Gartersnakes Thamnophis elegans are known to prey on slugs
(Arnold, 1977);
Insects: Groundbeetles feed on slugs (Ingram, 1946) and are even used for
biological control of Limax maximus (Altieri et al., 1982);
Flatworms: the terrestrial flatworn Microplana terrestris is known to feed
on Deroceras reticulatum (Mienis, 1990a);
Leeches: the Leech Haemposis sanguisuga feeds on Limacus flavus (Mienis &
Ortal, 1994);
Molluscs: Oxychilus draparnaudi was observed preying on Arion circumscriptus
(Mienis, 1990b); etc.

Keep your eyes open also for other animals and you notice at once that not
only in France they like to eat snails (and slugs in the animal world
only?).

References:
Altieri, A.A., Hagen, K.S., Trujillo, J. & Caltagirone, L.E., 1982.
Biological control of Limax maximus and Helix aspersa by indigenous
predators in a daisy field in central coastal California. Acta Oecologica,
Oecol. Applic., 3 (4): 387-390.
Arnold, S.J., 1977. Polymorphism and geographic variation in the feeding
behaviour of the Garter snake Thamnophis elegans. Science, 197: 676-678.
Ingram, W.M., 1946. Mollusk food of the beetle, Scaphinotus interruptus
(Men.). Bull. Sth. Calif. Acad. Sci., 45 (1): 34-36.
Mienis, H.K., 1990a. [A case of predation on Deroceras reticulatum by
Microplana terrestris.] C.B. Ned. Malac. Ver., 252: 642-643.
Mienis, H.K., 1990b. [A case of predation on Arion circumscriptus by
Oxychilus draparnaudi on Marken.] C.B. Ned. Malac. Ver., 253: 667-668.
Mienis, H.K., 1992. [Arion rufus eaten by Magpies.] De Snip, 1992 (2):
10-12.
Mienis, H.K., 2000. [Predation on Deroceras reticulatum by Jackdaws.] De
Kreukel, 36 (4): 54.
Mienis, H.K. & Ortal, R., 1994. Predation on Limacus flavus by Haemopsis
sanguisuga in the Middle East. Malakologiai Tajekoztato, 13: 45-46.

[.....] Sorry, written in Dutch, still my mother-tongue.

Henk K. Mienis

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