Rapid Food-Aversion Learning by a Terrestrial Mollusk

Abstract

The terrestrial slug Limax maximus can learn to avoid new palatable food if CO 2 poisoning is paired with ingestion of the new food. Some animals learn in one trial and remember without error for 3 weeks. Avoidance most commonly consists of complete rejection of the unsafe food, based on olfactory cues. This preparation offers the opportunity for detailed neurophysiological analysis of a rapid-onset learning mechanism of long duration.