Ewwwwwwwwww …

I am sure some parents are not happy with me after a fun-filled Kids’ Week I send the campers home with their very own slime.

It is the highlight of the week when they get to create something as gross as slime to take home.

Goopy, sticky slime is … well … disgusting. Kids are fascinated by the slime much to their grown-ups’ horror. In nature, slime has more practical uses than you may expect.

Creepy, crawly, slimy

In fact, many animals and even plants make their own slimy substances.

Creatures produce slime to help with reproduction, use it as protection against drying out or even as a defense against predators.

When I ask children to name animals that are native to our state, they are quick to mention all sorts of animals that are either furred or feathered. They usually do not mention the slimy ones although there are more slimy animals in our state than most people realize.

I do not consider frogs and other amphibians to be slimy, but the Eastern Hellbender salamander has been given the unpleasant name “Snot Otter” due to its slimy, wrinkled skin. This is the biggest salamander in the United States and has the distinction of being our state amphibian of Pennsylvania. These salamanders are biological indicators of clean water.

I have told students sometimes science is difficult but there are times when it seems too simple! Red tail hawks, Spotted salamanders, and Black rat snakes. Red tail hawks have reddish tails. Spotted salamanders are spotted. Easy. Black rat snakes are black and they eat rats. So, Northern slimy salamanders are slimy.

In aquatic habitats living in streams and lakes there are entire ecosystems full of life all depending on each other to survive. And some are unpleasant tasting because worms, crayfish, fish, and other aquatic creatures create slime as well.

Slugs and snails produce mucus that they secrete to help them move and for protection. These slimy creatures play important roles in the food web and act as indicators of the overall health of Pennsylvania’s diverse ecosystems. I find them fascinating and sort of cute.

Fluid movement

The slime acts as a lubricant, allowing them to glide smoothly across surfaces, even vertical ones. It also makes them unpleasant to eat either due to its taste or texture.

Muscles across the bottom of these slimy creatures press against the surface until mucus is released and they can glide over top of the surface. They create these contractions repeatedly to a continuous release of mucus.

Once the contractions stop, pressure is relieved and they can push off. But as well as helping them to move, the slime also acts as a message board.

Snails and slugs can read each other’s slime trails and find mating partners. Who crawled here? Can I mate with them? Where did they go? So many messages, and they are all written in slime.

Sticky tongues

Anyone who has watched slow-motion videos of frogs catching bugs knows that their tongues are sticky. But the neat thing is when their tongues are in their mouths the saliva is thin and watery.

When their tongues hit their targets their watery saliva flows and envelopes the bodies of their prey. Once the tongue pulls back, the saliva becomes stickier. This glues the prey to their tongues, and the prey is pulled back into the frogs’ mouths, their saliva becomes watery once again.

I must admit I take immense pleasure in introducing the campers to the world of slime and why it exists in nature. Sending them home with some slime of their own is just an added bonus.

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.