Sven Stellin took this fine shot of a paua slug he found in his
woodpile. The paua slug (Schlizoglossa) is endemic to New Zealand and
found only in the upper half of the N. Island
Like other slugs and snails they prefer a damp, protected environment,
foraging nocturnally when the humidity is high. The paua slug exhibits a
small, vestigial, external paua-shaped shell, hence its name.
It is under pressure due to habitat destruction and introduced predators
like the pig, rat, and blackbird which forage in its preferred habitat.
