The leopard slug (Limax maximus) is one of the largest and most distinctive native slug species in the UK, reaching up to 20 cm in length. It has a pale grey to light brown body marked with irregular dark spots and stripes, giving it its characteristic “leopard” pattern. The body is streamlined, and the mantle (the area behind the head) bears a conspicuous pattern of darker markings.
Unlike many other slugs, it is not primarily a plant pest — it feeds mainly on decaying matter, fungi, and even other slugs, which can help control more destructive slug species it mainly lives in damp environments like parks, gardens, woodland and meadows, The species is also known for its remarkable courtship behaviour, in which two slugs suspend themselves from a thread of mucus while mating, this species is a hermaphrodite and lays it's eggs under stones wood or under the soil.