Hi, I'm Ranger Carey with another Ranger Minute from Redwood National and State Parks.
I'd like to talk to you about my favorite little animal here in the park: the banana slug!
If you look closely, you'll notice banana slugs are covered with slime.
This slime helps the banana slug breathe. It also helps them to move.
The banana slug has one foot, so they don't move very fast.
You'll notice that the foot goes all the way from the tailpit up to the banana slug's mouth.
It moves like ocean waves: one wave after another propels the banana slug forward.
Banana slugs are the trash compactors of the forest.
They eat everything from scat to blackberries.
The one thing that they don't eat in the park are redwoods and redwood seedlings.
The redwoods provide the banana slugs with the shade that they need to keep them cool.
You might think, at first glance, that banana sligs would stick out like a sore thumb.
But actually, their color helps camouflage them in the forest�
please watch your step while hiking.
Banana slugs can vary in different shades of yellow:
either being bright yellow when they're young or middle-aged,
or they can be darker yellow as they age and get older.
On the rare occasion, banana slugs can even have spots.
While visiting Redwood National and State Parks, you're pretty much guaranteed to see a banana slug.
Keep your eyes on the ground, the sides of trees,
or perhaps if you're lucky, you might even find one hanging from a tree.