The Russians are expecting an invasion of giant slugs. Ilya Gomyranov, a zoologist and Skoltech employee, warned about this.
According to the expert, the orange slugs may be from the species Arion lusitanicus. Moreover, some specimens can reach a length of more than 10 centimeters.
"In Moscow and the region it has been celebrated regularly over the past few years, right up to the Tver region, and in the south of Russia it has already become a permanent inhabitant," Gomyranov said.
As the specialist suggests, the spread of this type of slug occurs along with bushes and roll lawns, which come from more southern regions.
These slugs have practically no enemies, which allows them to actively reproduce and make catastrophic forays into wild grass meadows, orchards and vegetable gardens. A Lusitanian slug can produce up to 100 eggs at a time.
"Lusitanian slugs, due to their size and ecological plasticity, can displace our species, for example, the usual gray slug," the zoologist warned.
There is also a red roadside slug that grows up to 18 centimeters in length. He lives in gardens, fields and forests next to a person.
"For humans, a slug is not dangerous. Contrary to popular belief, he does not tolerate a bovine tapeworm. A person becomes infected with a bovine tapeworm only when eating raw meat," concluded Gomyranov.
Earlier, a researcher at the Department of General Ecology and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, entomologist Vadim Maryinsky, in an interview with Moscow 24, estimated the likelihood of an outbreak in Russia of a dangerous disease - dirofilariasis.
Prior to that, three cases of this rare disease since the beginning of the year were recorded in Kiev. It is known that you can become infected with dirofilariasis from a mosquito bite, and round helminths spread the disease, which can migrate under the skin to a distance of up to 30 centimeters.