This is a giant land snail. The scientific name for them is Achatina Fulica, as they are part of the Achatinidae family which covers big snails. They are the first invertibrate that we are covering on this blog.
Giant land snails are considered to be pests to most people around the world, evening making it into the top 100 invasive species list. They thrive in mild climates as that is where their prefered food grows. They eat lots of plants and leafy vegetation.
This species is native to east Africa, but has gotten to most parts of the world through the pet trade. In 1931, they were found in China as well as the West Indies and Taiwan. They arrived in the US in 1936 for educational purposes and to be pets.
Studies in Bhutan show the snails attacking flower gardens and argicultural areas, some researchers believe that dogs of the near by areas have died from eating the snails as they could be carriers of a rat lungworm. Results and general thoughts on this theory varying views on the possibility of this.
The African land snail is neither male nor female, they are hermaphriditic, meaning that they are actually both. They can produce sperm and eggs when needed depending on the group that they are in. Asexual reproduction has happened in very small groups but is overall rare.
That's all for today. The day that this goes up is my mother's birthday! She isn't fond of these buddies, but does think they're neat. Have a good day,
-Daria
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