Pancake Slugs: Not Your Average Breakfast Food

Habitat: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Jamaica, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia
Status: Not Listed

Because I just finished eating a stack of chocolate chip pancakes (yes, at 7:oo PM. It’s SUNDAY, okay? Gotta ease into the week ahead… with something fluffy and kind), I couldn’t think of a more appropriate time to post about the genus of tropical air-breathing slugs in the family Veronicella, which are known as pancake slugs.

As you may have guessed, these strange mollusks get their name from their flat, breakfast-food-shape appearance. There are four described species of Veronicella, all of which are flatter than a pancake… or else, the same as one.

Instead of evolving shells like most other land snails, the pancake slugs decided to go a different route for protection – camouflage! Aside from resembling pancakes, they also look just like dead leaves in the wild. Their thin frames allow them to slide in and out of tight crevices perfect for hiding spaces. Some species are in danger due to habitat loss… and because they are hunted as a protein source in some countries. Can’t people just stick to regular pancakes?

Check out this video to see one moving in action! They can get pretty big, it seems…