The Giant African Land Snail

The Giant African Land Snail (Achatina fulica) is a terrestrial gastropod, about 20 centimetres (8 inches) long, from humid regions across countries in Africa. Gastropod means ‘stomach on foot.’

They are nocturnal (active at night). During the day they bury themselves under plants or completely underground.

The Giant African Land Snail lays up to 200 eggs per clutch 5-6 times a year. The eggs hatch and reach full size in about six months.

They are hermaphroditic, having both male and female reproductive organs. If two snails are similar size they can reproduce bilaterally (two ways). If they are different sizes they can reproduce unilaterally (one way) with the larger individual acting as the female.

They are macrophytophagous herbivores, which means that they eat a wide range of plant material, fruit, and vegetables.

They can be eaten as food, but are regarded as an environmental and agricultural pest (an invasive species) when introduced into other countries.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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