California's Official Slug

Banana slug (Chron photo)

You've got to hand it to Governor Newsom. Amidst all the problems California is facing--crime, homelessness, a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, businesses fleeing the state--he still found the time to name three new state symbols.

The state now recognizes the Dungeness crab as its official crustacean, the banana slug as its official slug, and the black abalone as its official seashell.

“California has some of the most biodiverse environments in the world — with over 5,500 plants, animals, and other life forms,” Newsom said in a statement. “From the majestic California redwood down to the delicate California quail, every organism matters here — and it’s time we celebrated our less cuddly friends before they get too crabby.”

The abalone and the Dungeness crab are more well-known, but your humble blogger finds the banana slug especially appropros to California: [bold added]

Neon yellow banana slugs that are synonymous with UC Santa Cruz make their home in the region’s lush redwood forests. The slugs, which can grow to 7 inches and longer, have both male and female reproductive organs. This gives them unique mating abilities, including the option to reproduce asexually, though extremely rare.

According to ChatGPT California is the second State to have designated an official slug, the first being Tennessee's coneflower slug in 2023. California used to be first in woo-woo stuff like biodiversity, but it's losing its edge, beaten out by a red state no less. Well, California's slug is non-binary, so there.