the bird on fire

Blogger Hannah has some serious pride for her new school mascot, the banana slug. She dives into the scientific background of the species, even includes some fun facts.–Editor Elizabeth

by Hannah Hall, Nature Correspondent

This upcoming fall, I will be attending the University of California at Santa Cruz. And, you may be wondering why that is relevant. Well, our mascot is “yellow and slimy.” Our mascot is the Banana Slug!

The banana slug is a gastropod invertebrate (mucus secreting, spineless creature) that can usually be found in yellow, which is where they get their “banana” name from. They can also be seen in shades of brown, white and green—sometimes a speckled combination of multiple colors! Banana slugs can be found all over the Pacific Northwest from some areas in Alaska, all the way to Central California. They are native in forest habitats, and flourish in the moisture. In fact, their slime is based off of the moisture surrounding them. Their slime is actually crystallized. When the substance comes in contact with moisture it can absorb up to 100 times its size, which is what we then recognize as goopy slime. Their slime serves a few purposes. Firstly, it is protective. When predators try to eat the slug, the slime actually numbs their tongue, which can lend to their escape from the jaws of death. Secondly, it acts as a skin barrier. Their slime is practically moisture retaining lotion that prevents their skin from becoming dehydrated. Thirdly, it helps with moving. Yes, it helps with inching around—at their top speed of only 6.5 inches per-minute—but it also helps with the moving of their food. Oftentimes banana slugs will use their slime to push debris on them to their tail, so they can turn around and eat it off of themselves. And, speaking of food, they are pretty much nature’s compost bin. They are known as vegetarian decomposers that feed off of animal droppings and dying/dead plants such as fruit, moss, and mushrooms. Their waste then serves as nitrogen-rich fertilizer which is good for the forest floor. 

You may be wondering how banana slugs reproduce. Banana slugs are in fact hermaphrodites, “which means they possess both male and female sex organs simultaneously” (NatGeo). This also means that as much as they have the opportunity to mate with others—“courting,” they can also mate with themselves. Although when they do mate with others, sometimes they have trouble….detaching….for lack of better terms. The University of Puget Sound states, “if they are unable to [detach,] one or both will finally start chewing and bite off the [sex] organ of the other slug. This behavior is called apophallation and seems unique to slugs.”

Summing up the basic facts about my new beloved mascot, hopefully you find the species as interesting as I do. #GoSlugs

Editor-in-Chief: Elizabeth Shay

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/banana-slug

https://www.nilesbio.com/prod342.html

https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/exhibits/terrestrial-panel/banana-slug/

Perhaps you’ve missed out on your world travels due to COVID. But, don’t fret. Quintus is here to give you a tour of beautiful Shanghai.—Second Editor-in-Chief Sara Habibipour

By Quintus Ni, Shanghai Editor

Looking at Shanghai from a commanding height, the alleys in Shanghai are spectacular.

When it’s dark and the lights are on, these points and lines are bright. Behind the light, large areas of darkness are the alleys in Shanghai, the darkness seems to be almost rough, almost pushing the light away.

The brilliance of Oriental Paris is based on the darkness.

As the morning light comes on, the light goes out. First, there is a thin fog; light is a straight light, drawn out, like fine brushwork. The first to jump out is the skylight on the roof of the old alley. They have a delicate and clever appearance in the morning fog. The wooden frame of the window is carved carefully. The tiles on the house are of fine workmanship. The rose in the flowerpot on the windowsill is carefully cultivated. Then, the sun comes out, revealing the rusty red bricks, which seem to be in a painting. Every painting is clear. Then cracks appear on the gable, and there is a little green moss. The first ray of sunshine is on the gable. It’s a beautiful picture, almost gorgeous and desolate; it’s fresh and old.

The lanes in Shanghai are varied in shape and sound. Sometimes they are like that; sometimes they are like this; they can’t agree. In fact, they are constantly changing and changing. In the end, there are thousands of people, thousands of faces, and one mind.

The houses on the alleys look like row upon row, crowded and crowded. The lights are like peas. Though weak, they are dense and like a pot of porridge. They are also like a big river with numerous tributaries, and like a big tree with countless branches. They are crisscrossed and crisscrossed, which is a big net. On the surface, they are exposed, but, in fact, they are mysterious and have a tortuous heart.

At dusk, pigeons hover in the air of Shanghai, looking for their nests. The ridge of the roof is continuous and undulating, and it looks like a peak from the horizontal to the vertical. Standing on the commanding height, they are all connected, boundless, and some of the southeast and northwest are indistinguishable. The roof ridges flow like water.

There are whispers on the sun terrace, balcony and window side. It’s better to stand at a high point and find a good angle: the clothes on the bamboo poles in the lane are full of personal feelings. The Impatiens, gem flowers, and green garlic cascade from flowerpots. The gully-like bottoming is made of cement or stone.

The feeling of Shanghai Lane comes from the most daily of scenes, which is not stirred by clouds and water, but accumulated bit by bit. There are some unexpected and reasonable things flowing in the lanes. Things are not big things, but they are trivial. Sand gathering can also make a tower. It has nothing to do with such concepts as history. Even unofficial history is hard to be called. It can only be called rumor. Rumor is another view of Shanghai Lane. It is almost visible, and it is also revealed from the back window and back door. What the front door and front balcony reveal is a little more serious, but it is also a rumor. These rumors are close to the skin and flesh, not as cold and rigid as the old paper pile. Although there are many fallacies, they are also perceptible fallacies. When the street lights of this city are brilliant, there is usually only one light on the corner in the lane, with the most common iron cover. The cover is rusty and covered with dust. The light is dim and yellow, and there are some smoky things breeding and spreading below. The pigeons mumble in the cage, as if they are also whispering. The light on the street is right, but it is eaten by the dark just as it is about to flow into Nongkou.

In the end, the sun is spurting from the roof, which is a spectacular collection of the countless pieces of Shanghai.

Edited by Sara Habibipour