Giant African land snail

Description:

The adult snails have a height of around 7 centimetres (2.8 in), and their length can reach 20 centimetres (7.9 in) or more. The shell has a conical shape, being about twice as high as it is broad. Either clockwise (sinistral) or counter-clockwise (dextral) directions can be observed in the coiling of the shell, although the right-handed (dextral) cone is the more common. Shell colouration is highly variable, and dependent on diet. Typically, brown is the predominant colour and the shell is banded.

Notes:

Distribution While the snail is native to East Africa, it has been widely introduced to other parts of the world through the pet trade and as a food resource. This species has been found in China since 1931 (map of distribution in 2007), and its initial point of distribution in China was Xiamen. The snail has also been established in the Pratas Islands, of Taiwan, throughout India, the Pacific, Indian Ocean islands, and the West Indies. In the United States, it has become established in Hawaii and eradication is underway in Florida. The species has recently been observed in Bhutan(Gyelposhing,Mongar), where it is regarded as an invasive species. It has begun to attack agricultural fields and flower gardens. It is believed there that dogs which have consumed the snail died as a result; however, given that Achatina fulica is routinely eaten by humans in some parts of its range, death (except through Angiostrongylus meningitis) would be unlikely.