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The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has positively identified a population of Giant African land snails (GALS) in Miami-Dade County. The Giant African land snail is one of the most damaging snails in the world because they consume at least 500 different types of plants, can cause structural damage to plaster and stucco, and can carry a parasitic nematode that can lead to meningitis in humans.
The Giant African land snail, Achatina fulica, is one of the largest land snails in the world, growing up to eight inches in length and more than four inches in diameter. When full grown, the snail's brownish shell consists of seven to nine whorls (spirals) that cover at least half the length of its long and greatly swollen body whorl (see photo below).
Photo Credit: Andrew Derksen, Florida Cooperative Pest Survey Program
Each snail can live as long as nine years and contains both female and male reproductive organs. After a single mating session, each snail can produce 100 to 400 eggs. In a typical year, every mated adult lays about 1,200 eggs.
Achatina fulica is originally from East Africa and has established itself throughout the Indo-Pacific Basin, including the Hawaiian Islands. This pest has also been introduced into the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe with recent detections in Saint Lucia and Barbados.
The last reported outbreak and eradication of the Giant African land snail in Florida occurred in 1966 when a boy smuggled three Giant African land snails into Miami as pets. The boy's grandmother released the snails into her garden and seven years later, more than 18,000 snails were found costing more than $1 million and taking an additional 10 years to successfully eradicate this pest from Florida. This is the only known successful giant African land snail eradication program.
Giant African land snails are illegal to import into the United States without a permit and currently no permits have been issued.
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How did giant African land snails evolve?
Where is the giant african snail indegenuos to
Will UV radiation harm your giant African land snails?
Giant African land snails are native to East Africa but are illegal in the United States for being a devastating invasive species. No, UV radiation will not harm your giant African land snails.
Can giant Africian land snails eat corot?
giant African land snails wont eat Corot.
Who discovered giant African land snails?
me
How do Giant land snails die?
african snails die by not eat a enough food.
How do giant African land snails communicate?
whit there antennas
What state is trying to eradicate giant African land snails?
Flordia
Why are giant African land snails called that?
The name is self-explanatory. They are Snails, Giant in size, and native to Africa, also they ared terrestrial (On the Land) as opposed to aquatic species.
Can giant African land snails die without a heat mat?
Yes
Can you eat giant African sails?
No you cannot eat giant african land snails, there slime carries food poisoning known as salmonella
Are giant African land snails illegal?
They are illegal in many places, and certainly in the USA.
What is the difference between giant African snails and garden snails?
Giant African Land Snails (or GALS) get much, much bigger. Garden snails are legal to have in the USA but it is illegal to keep GALS in the USA. GALS serves as a major crop problem but most all Snails (if not all snails) make great pets!
