Lincoln Home National Historic Site - Mollusks

When most people think of Mollusks in National Parks, Lincoln Home National Historic Site is not the first place that generally comes to mind. The Giant Clam of the National Park of American Samoa, the squid swimming off the shores of Dry Tortugas National Park in the Gulf of Mexico, or the Giant Pacific Octopus, which lurks in the cold Alaskan waters in Kenai Fjords National Park, are the more "glamorous" members of the phylum Mollusca. But here, nestled almost 1000 miles from the nearest marine ecosystem, a mollusk that can be found nearly worldwide makes its home. A native of Europe, the Spotted Garden Slug ( Limax maxumus ) makes its home in the midwestern urban environment of Lincoln Home. Though rarely seen during the day, early morning visitors to the Lincoln Home neighborhood will see the telltale slime trails the slug leaves behind, covering our brick paths and boardwalks.