California could soon have official state slug

A bill introduced in the California State Assembly would designate an official state slug.

Assembly Bill 1850, introduced by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, would see the banana slug recognized as an emblem of the state.

“The banana slug is an iconic symbol of California’s temperate rainforest and is popular among both children and adults,” Pellerin said.

“However, despite this cultural fascination, there is a dearth of academic research into this mollusk which can shed light on the evolutionary history of the state. Designating the banana slug as the state slug will highlight the important role that they play in the ecological health of the state.”

According to the bill’s fact sheet, banana slugs, scientific name Ariolimax, live as far north as Del Norte County and as far south as San Diego County.

Do you know California’s official state symbols?

The bill notes that banana slugs eat plants that compete with seedlings of the state tree, the California redwood, for nutrients.

According to the bill, there are at least seven species of banana slug found within California, only one of which is found outside of the state.

In 1986 the University of California, Santa Cruz, adopted the banana slug as its mascot which the bill notes was “famously showcased in the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction.”

The banana slug would join other state symbols inducted into the California code such as the state bat, the pallid bat, and the state mushroom, the Californian Golden Chanterelle.

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