Giant (East) African Snail

Description:

A terrestrial gastropod, is considered one of "World's Worst invaders" amongst agricultural pests.It has a voracious appetite and is known to feed on upto 500 different types of fruit, vegetables, a wide variety of ornamental plants, tree bark, and even paint, wreaking havoc on the local vegetation and habitat.The giant snails are essentially obligate-outcrossing hermaphrodite, each having both female and male reproductive organs.Once it reaches adulthood at six months, it just need be fertilized once to singly produce 100 to 400 eggs in each clutch every three months, through the rest of its life. In a year one snail can produce 1200 or more eggs which it stores under the soil.

Habitat:

Originally from a tropical area, it can survive cold and dry, hot, inhospitable conditions by hibernating in loose soil. It calcifies the opening of its shell and is able to stay in this state, underground, for up to 5 years, until favourable conditions return.

Notes:

Getting rid of this pest has been ineffective both chemically and biologically .Manually gathering the snails and destroying them by means of salt has been the most advisable but not a very effective method. In India, some tribal communities like the Warlis consume indigenous snails species to supplement their diets during monsoons.