“They’re totemic of old growth and indicators of healthy forests. They’re the little guys who build the forest by processing the material and pooping out the good stuff.” That’s David George Gordon, biologist, defending the honor of the banana slug. Turns out that the banana slug’s little relatives who enjoy munching on our veggie gardens are stowaways from European countries. Banana slugs are supposed to be here in our moist Pacific Northwest and, says Gordon, “They make good pets.”