The banana slug is now the official state slug of California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills on Friday establishing three new state symbols.
Joining the banana slug are the Dungeness crab and the shell of the black abalone, as state crab and seashell, respectively.
Banana slugs have become a prominent symbol in Santa Cruz. In 1986, UC Santa Cruz established the banana slug as the university’s official mascot. Before “Sammy the Slug,” a group of student athletes pushed for sea lions to be the mascot. But students were adamant on the slug, going as far as putting the mascot issue to a campus-wide ballot measure before it became the mascot.
The City of Santa Cruz declared Sept. 27, 2011, “Day of the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug” to mark the 25th anniversary of the university’s mascot.
Banana slugs’ natural habitat is the redwood forest, and can be spotted in state parks, including Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, and also at the UCSC campus.
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