After ravaging the pansies, the gastropod turned his attention to the roses: "So many beauties," he sighed, "so little slime."
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Mary Anthony, Grand Rapids, Michigan in the anual Bulwer-Lytton writing contest.
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and what you may not of known about snail slime:
Researchers have discovered unusual properties in the mucus secreted by giant African land snails which they believe might have important applications in medical science.
It could lead to a new treatment for broken bones.
The team led by Professor Christopher Viney at Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh university, found that the snails' slime contains unusual crystals of Calcite - a commonly occurring mineral.
They noticed that under certain conditions the slime dries and quickly hardens to form the animals' epiphragm - the covering across the opening of the shell seen when the snails go into periods of deep rest.
Professor Viney, who has studied mucus from slugs, thinks the material could prove useful in the treatment of bone fractures or certain operations like hip replacements.
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He said of his research: "We've already established that slug slime, which many people would think of as a very simple, if messy substance, is in fact a complex material.
(Slime in time saves nine?)
Source of image:
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=pdef&pg=5612
