Giant African snails are thought to come from East Africa originally. These snails are illegal in the continental United States but are often used in science classes. There are also two other species known as giant African snails that are also invasive, the giant Ghana tiger snail (Achatina achatina), and Margie (Archachatina marginata).
Giant African snails are large terrestrial snails which are highly invasive. Known as some of the most damaging snails in the world, Giant African snails are known to eat at least 500 different types of plants, many of which are agricultural and natural resources. The snails have also been known to eat paint and stucco on houses. They also compete with native animals for resources, increase the spread of plant diseases and modify habitats.
When mature they may reach lengths of 8 inches (30cm), a diameter of 4 inches (10cm), and a height of 3 inches (7-8cm). The shell is brown with darker streaks, cone-shaped and when mature has seven to nine whorls. Each snail contains both male and female reproductive organs. One snail can produce up to 1,200 eggs a year. The snails mature in five to fifteen months and can live up to nine years.
Giant African snails have established throughout the IndoPacific Basin, the Hawaiian islands, the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Saint Martin.
The snails may carry the rat parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which may be transmitted through injestion or handling live snails and getting snail mucus in the mucus membranes such as in the eyes, nose, and mouth.
The snails disperse when they escape from confinement or are released, through the snails or eggs being tossed out with garden waste, or through movement of plants, soil, building materials, or vehicles. Just one fertilized snail can start a population.
From the USDA APHIS website:
“In 1966, a Miami, FL, boy smuggled three giant African snails into south Florida upon returning from a trip to Hawaii. His grandmother eventually released the snails into her garden. Seven years later, more than 18,000 snails had been found along with scores of eggs. The Florida State eradication program took 10 years at a cost of $1 million.”
If you have a Giant African land snail please do not release them into the wild, instead turn them in to your State Department of Agriculture. You will not be penalized for doing so.
(From: http://www.massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/giantafricanlandsnail.html and http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=64&fr=1&sts=sss and http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/gas/index.shtml and http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/africansnail.shtml)
(Picture from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giant_snail_Africa.jpeg)
