slug...or not

[enrico]

Any ideas what left these marks on my outside table? Thought it was a slug trail but........

 

[eleanor20]

Slow worm?

 

[enrico]

could well be....thanks

 

[newbie]

might be worth sending to the website wildaboutbritain - there are plenty of clever people there who may be able to help !

 

[Into the lions den]

Looks like the grazing trail of a slug or snail, rather than the motion trail.....moving along and grazing from side to side as it goes.....note the smaller fainter ones too. See this from time to time in various places and even on hive exteriors.

 

[enrico]

Thanks newbie, will do

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Thanks newbie, will do

Please let us know.

It's intriguing.

Dusty

 

[broandy]

A bee that hit the mead lol

 

[enrico]

Ok, I gave up with wild about Britain forum, it was so difficult to load pictures I got to screaming point. I don't know why they have to make it so hard!

 

[eleanor20]

Try ispot.org.uk

 

[Skyhook]

It couldn't be manmade could it? like where a rope has been put down?

I really want to know now, I'm intrigued!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Measurements might help - could be a bear! A drunken one, of course

 

[Luminos]

http://patiopatch.co.uk/2010/09/graffiti-snail-trails/?oo=0

 

[enrico]

finally got the pictures up on wild about britain, See what they come up with!
It is not man made I promise. Thanks for the link Luminos, very similar but I think the author of that link has just presumed it is a slug. As far as the measurements go each zigzag is about 0.5cm - 0.75cm in length with about five of the razor teeth like marks on a length. I am convinced it isn't a slug. Kept going out to catch what it was but no trace!
This is becoming an obsession! I will find out what it is and let you know!

 

[enrico]

It is definitely a snail, apparantly the diagonal markings are the teeth!! 100 percent!
My apologies to those that said it was!

 

[Skyhook]

It is definitely a snail, apparantly the diagonal markings are the teeth!! 100 percent!
My apologies to those that said it was!

Presumably then slugs are either left or right handed- if you see what I mean. The action seems to be move forward a few mm, then graze an arc, but only to one side of centre.

I know squirrels can be left or right handed- if you look at chewed pine cones, the marks spiral one way on some and the other way on others, showing which is their dominant hand when holding it. Apparently most chickens are left-handed (when scratching).

 

[Luminos]

...and this beekeeper is mostly cack-handed